Fall is upon us!  With fall comes cooler weather, the new school year, and APPLES!  We couldn't be more excited for Fall and crisp, fresh apples!  Our Apple Festival is this weekend (September 12 & 13), so we compiled a list of fun facts about the most consumed fruit in America!

1.Apple trees take 4-5 years to produce their first apple.
2.Approximately 36 apples are required to produce 1 gallon of apple cider.
3.The crabapple is the only apple native to North America.
4.Apples float in water because they are 25% air.
5.2/3 of the fiber and many antioxidants are found in the apple peel.
6.The average person eats 65 apples each year.
7.Most apples are still picked by hand.
8.The first apples in the US were planted by the Pilgrims in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
9.Producing 1 apple requires the energy of 50 leaves.
10.In 1768 the first apples were exported from America, some of which were sent to Ben Franklin in London.


So you can see where the phrase, "as American as apple pie." comes from!  Apples are highly consumed by Americans, and can be cooked/bake many different ways.  We will have plenty of apples on hand this weekend as well as apple products and foods.  Plus, don't miss out on our Apple Pie Eating Contests!

Bees are essential to not only farms, but to humans and animals as well.  They pollinate plants, allowing fruits and vegetables to grow and therefore supporting life cycles and ecosystems.  This weekend we are celebrating bees and one of their most popular byproducts-Honey!  Here are some fun facts you may not have known about this useful insect.

1. Bees are the only insect that produce a food that is eaten by man.
2. A Honey Bee visits 50-100 flowers on a collection trip.
3. Honey Bees don't always die after they sting.
          Honey Bees almost always die when stinging a human since their stingers get stuck in human flesh very easily.  However, when stinging certain types of animals or insects they may keep their stinger and sting again.
4. Honey Bees are assigned jobs based upon their age.
           Older bees (22 days old) are the ones who collect pollen, nectar, and water.
5. Honey Bees are cold blooded.
           Honey Bees do not have the ability to generate heat, and therefore keep their body temperatures up by vibrating their bodies.  When in flight, the average body temperature of a Honey Bee is 130 degrees.  This is also why beehive areas are kept close to 98 degrees.
6. Drones (Male Honey Bees) do no actual work.
          Drones can even get evicted from the hive when food is scarce or overcrowding is an issue.  When drones mate with a queen, they die shortly after. 
7. Honey Bees communicate with each other through "dancing".
8. Honey Bees generally stay within a 5 mile radius of the hive
          However, a colony will fly a total of approximately 55,000 miles to produce 1 pound of honey.
9. Honey is made when nectar from flowers is mixed with enzymes from the Honey Bee's mouth.
10.Honey Bees are not native to the Americas-they were brought over by Europeans.


Now that you've read about how fascinating Honey Bees really are, come watch them in action this weekend in our Honey Bee Factory!  They do an excellent job with providing the Farm with plenty of honey, as well as pollinating the plants.  In further celebration of this essential creature, our Honey Festival will be this Saturday and Sunday.  Don't miss out on all the delicious honey foods we will have to offer, as well as more bee facts as we celebrate Honey Bees and their sweet, sweet honey!

It's mid-August already and time for watermelons to be at their peak!  In preparation of our Watermelon Festival this weekend, we've compiled a list of fun facts about this juicy fruit!

1.Watermelons are both a fruit and a vegetable.
           Watermelons are related to cucumbers, squash, and pumpkins.  It is also a sweet, seed-            producing plant, and the rind is completely edible!
2.In Japan and China a watermelon is a popular gift to bring a host.
3.While it can be assumed that watermelon contains a lot of water, they are actually more than 91% water!
           Eating watermelon is a great way to stay hydrated!
4.Early explorers used hollowed out watermelon rinds as canteens.
5.Watermelon is packed with Lycopene, which is a powerful antioxidant that can help reduce the risk of stroke and other diseases.
           1 Cup of watermelon has 1.5 times the amount of 1 raw tomato.
6.Watermelon can help reduce inflammation and muscle soreness.
7.The earliest evidence of watermelons was found in hieroglyphics on the walls of Egyptian ruins, more than 5,000 years old.
8.Farmers generally grow watermelon plants in rows 8 to 12 feet apart, since in only a month a watermelon vine can grow 6-8 feet.
9.After picking, watermelons keep best at room temperature.
10.The largest 

Peaches are the third most popular fruit in the US, and it's no wonder why!  They're delicious and healthy!  August is National Peach Month (since 1982), so we've compiled several fun facts about this sweet fruit!  

1.Peaches are good for digestion and even have a natural soothing effect.
              Great for an upset stomach!
2.Peaches originated in China and were introduced to the Western Hemisphere through Persia.
3.The first peach orchard in the US was established in 1565 in Florida.
4.Peach pits are actually poisonous, containing hydrocyanic acid.  However, one peach seed contains only 10g, and 100g of hydrocyanic acid a day is considered to be dangerous.
               It is considered safe to eat 1-2 seeds from the peach pit per day.
5.Peaches are a member of the rose family.
6.Even though Georgia is the "Peach State", 50% of the peaches grown in the US are grown in California.
7.The phrase "You're a real peach" originated from the tradition of giving a peach to a friend you liked.
8.Peaches are filled with vitamins and make a great moisturizer, and therefore are used in a lot of cosmetics and moisturizing products.
9.Peaches are a good source of vitamins A, B, and C.  A medium peach contains about 37 calories, and a large peach contains less than 75 calories!
10.There are over 700 varieties of peaches, nectarines included!
                 Nectarines are just peaches that aren't fuzzy!

We're celebrating peaches this weekend at our Peach Festival!  We will have a very large variety of peach products available, as well as peaches themselves!  And if you're up for the challenge, don't forget to sign up at the counter inside the store for our Adult and Children's Peach Pie Eating Contests, happening Saturday and Sunday at 12:30pm (Children's) and 1:00pm (Adults) this weekend!

Tired of the typical BBQ/cookout food?  What about fresh, juicy, Jersey tomatoes?   We can't get enough of them!  We love them so much, that we decided to share this juicy recipe, which is also the perfect addition to your typical cookout food!  

Embarrassingly Easy Grilled Sourdough with Buttery Herbs, Heirloom Tomatoes + a Honey Drizzle


Serves approximately 2.   Total Time: 15 min


Ingredients:
4 slices sourdough bread
4 tbsp unsalted butter (softened)
1 tsp chopped fresh basil
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
1/2 tsp snipped fresh chives
1/2 tsp fresh thyme
1/4 tsp salt
2 heirloom tomatoes, sliced & covered with salt & pepper
2 tbsp honey


Heat grill to a medium heat.  Mix together butter, basil, oregano, chives, thyme, & salt.  Spread the buttery mixture onto both sides of the sourdough slices.  Place the bread slices on the grill and grill until the bread is toasty and char marks appear.  This will take approximately 1 1/2-2 minutes per side.  Once grilled, remove the bread and add the tomato slices with a drizzle of honey.

This recipe is extremely simple, yet completely flavorful.  We also love tomatoes so much that we are having a Tomato Festival this weekend!  Now is the perfect time to try this recipe, when Jersey tomatoes are at the ripest and juiciest.  We will have plenty of tomatoes and honey available this weekend so that you may try this recipe, plus we will be making a variety of tomato sandwiches in our Frontier Cafe!  So don't forget to stop by Saturday and/or Sunday!  We hope to see you here!

It's Tomato season!  Did you know tomatoes are the most common plant you'll find in a garden in the US?  Since tomatoes are so widely enjoyed and used in many recipes, we compiled a list of fun facts about them.

1.According to the USDA, Americans eat 22-24 pounds of tomatoes per person, per year. About half of that comes in the form of tomato sauce & ketchup.
       Think of how many tomatoes you consume through other products as well!
2.Consuming tomatoes actually makes the skin less sensitive to damage from UV light.
       Be sure to eat some tomatoes before heading to the beach for extra protection!
3.The US is second to China when it comes to tomato production.
4.Tomatoes are an excellent source of chromium, which helps to keep blood pressure under control.
5.Applying tomato pulp to your face for 30 minutes can reduce acne, blackheads, and can also be great to remove some of the oil if you have oily skin.
6.Botanically, a tomato is a fruit. However, the government classified it as a vegetable in the late 1800s so it could be taxed under custom regulations.
        Fruit or vegetable?
7.93% of Americans grow tomatoes in their gardens.
8.Florida grows more tomatoes than any other state.
9.American colonists grew tomatoes for their appearance, but were afraid to eat them, perhaps because the plants resembled deadly nightshade. 
10.Sunburnt skin can be soothed by applying a mixture of yogurt and tomatoes onto the afflicted areas.

Tomatoes have many benefits, and can be used for more than just eating!  We will have a large supply of fresh-picked, farm-grown tomatoes at our Tomato Festival this weekend, August 1 & 2, as well as a variety of delicious tomato sandwiches.

Our Sweet Corn Festival is happening this weekend, July 25th & 26th!  So in preparation, we thought we'd share some awesome fun facts/history about corn!

1.Did you know that 1 acre of corn can eliminate 8 TONS of harmful greenhouse gasses?!
           That's more than 1 car produces in a year!
2.Contrary to popular belief, only 2 ears of corn grow on 1 corn stalk.
3.Corn will always have an even number of rows on each cob.
4.On average, an ear of corn will have 800 kernels in 16 rows!
5.An ear/cob of corn is part of the flower, and the kernels are the seeds.
6.Corn and its byproducts can also be found in non-food products, like fireworks, glue, paint, aspirin, cosmetics, laundry detergent, ink, and many other products.
            Chances are that you use at least 1 product a day that contains some part of corn.
7.1 bushel of corn contains about 72,800 kernels and weighs 56 pounds.
8.In 2014, the US produced a total of approximately 14.093 billion bushels of corn!
           That's a lot of corn!
9.In the 1600's corn was so valuable to American settlers that it was used as money and traded for other products.
10.Corn is a domesticated grass, and does not exist in the wild.
            When corn was first discovered, it grew in the wild, but was very small until settlers/colonists learned to cultivate it to grow and produce a very fruitful vegetable-an ear of corn.

While we don't really use corn as a form of money anymore, it has remained extremely valuable to us in many ways.  So we encourage you to join us for our Sweet Corn Festival Saturday & Sunday July 25th & 26th.  We will have plenty of fresh, delicious sweet corn on hand as well as boiled corn, roasted corn, corn dogs, popcorn, grilled corn muffins, and more!  Don't miss out on this festival that's sure to have something for the whole family!

Looking for a healthy yet delicious food to barbecue?  Or maybe you're tired of eating all that corn on the cob?   This recipe is sure to please not only vegetarians, but those who are looking for a little something different.  If you are new to grilling, this recipe is also a perfect one to start with.  

Charred Asparagus and Sweet Corn in a Peanut and Chive Dressing

Ingredients:
2 Ears of Corn on the Cob (steamed)
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
Juice of 1 small Lemon  
Juice of half of a Lime
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tsp Brown Sugar
1/2 Tsp Chipotle Chili Powder
1 Pinch of Salt
1 Tbsp Chopped Chives
1/3 Cup of Peanuts 
20 Spears of Asparagus
Salt, Pepper, & a little Olive Oil to coat vegetables before cooking

Instructions:
1.Steam the corn until soft (or use corn that was already steamed)
2.Prepare the dressing by mixing oil, lemon and lime juice, soy sauce, and then season with brown sugar, salt, and chili powder.
3.Chop the peanuts and stir in the dressing.
4.Coat the asparagus with a smear of olive oil, salt, and pepper.
5.Cook the vegetables on a grill or barbecue until they are browned.
6.Remove the kernels of corn from the cob with a sharp knife.
7.Lay the cooked asparagus on a serving dish
8.Layer the sweetcorn, peanuts, and chives on top (in that order).
9.Serve warm and enjoy!

We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!  We currently have plenty of fresh Jersey Sweet Corn available for sale at the Farm, and don't forget about our upcoming Sweet Corn Festival next weekend, July 25th & 26th!  Now is the perfect time to try this recipe and start grilling!

           It's summer and zucchini is in full swing right now!  Zucchini has more potassium than a banana, and comes in at only 25 calories!  Plus, it's the perfect vegetable to throw into desserts that even picky eaters like.  Everyone's heard of zucchini bread, but zucchini brownies?!  That's why we had to share this delicious recipe with our followers!

Zucchini Brownies

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 1/2 Cups White Sugar
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
6 tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
2 Cups Shredded Green Zucchini
1/2 Cup Chopped Walnuts (Optional)
1/4 Cup Margarine
2 Cups Confectioner's Sugar
1/4 Cup Milk
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Prep: 15 min     Bake Time: 25-30min

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar & 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, & baking soda; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into the pan.
3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched. To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa & margarine; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners' sugar, milk & 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting.

         So come out to the farm and stock up on zucchini to try this delicious recipe that's sure to be a hit!  We have a special on green zucchini going on right now- $0.75/lb !  

       It's blueberry season (and National Blueberry Month)!  Time for blueberry donuts, blueberry pies, blueberry preserves...  But blueberries do more than just taste good!  We've compiled a list of 10 fun facts about the only naturally blue food!
1.  Blueberries are known to be high in anti-oxidants and are even ranked #1 by the USDA as the fruit with the highest amount of anti-oxidants.  
2.  They are also high fiber, which aids in the digestive process.  
3.  Blueberries can also slow the aging process and work as an anti-depressant.
4.  A fun, refreshing way to change up your water or juice is to use frozen blueberries as ice cubes.
5.  Like beets, blueberries can be used to make a natural dye
6.  Many blueberry-flavored processed foods do not contain any actual blueberries.            You are probably better off making your own blueberry foods or buying from small local businesses (We do carry blueberries, blueberry pies, blueberry donuts, & more!  Always made with actual, local blueberries).
7.  Native Americans once called blueberries "Star berries".
8.  1 cup of  blueberries only contains 83 calories.
      Eat up!
9.  Maine produces the most blueberries in North America.
10.  Blueberries were first harvested commercially during the Civil War and shipped to Union troops.

Blueberries are a healthy, delicious fruit with some history to them!  We will be celebrating them during our Blueberry Festival July 11th & 12th, so come out and join us!  We also currently have pints of farm fresh blueberries available, as well as blueberry donuts and blueberry honey sticks!