We are now taking orders for 2010 Plow Creek Farm beef. The beef is 100% grass-fed and is raised without the use of hormones or antibiotics right here on Plow Creek Farm pasture. The beef will go to the butcher in October and is available for purchase as a quarter, half, or whole beef. If you have access to a chest freezer this is a great way to save money by buying in bulk. A quarter beef provides about 90 lbs of cut meat and includes steaks, ground beef, roasts, and a variety of other cuts which are cut according to your specifications. For more information about pricing and how to reserve your share, call 815-646-4862 or write Matthew at peterson@plowcreek.org.

Plow Creek Farm now has plenty of delicious ripe tomatoes. We have regular slicing tomatoes, Romas, several heirloom types (including Brandywine, Black Prince, and Striped) and a variety of sweet tiny tomatoes. They are available at our Market Barn, and at Princeton, LaSalle, and Peoria Farmers’ Markets.

Canning tomatoes are $20 / bushel or $12 / half bushel. Canning tomatoes are regular tomatoes at a reduced price because of minor imperfections, the kind you would use if they were from your garden, but might not choose at a store. We get a lot of these because we do not use poisons on the plants. Tomato firsts are $50 / bushel, or $30 for a half bushel.

We also are trying tomato u-pick by appointment. Cost is 90 cents a pound, or 75 cents a pound for 50 pounds or more. For larger quantities or make a u-pick appointment, please leave a message on our answering machine or order online and we will get back with you.

Today is the last day for good amounts of blueberries at the Farmers’ Markets in Princeton and Peoria. We also are bringing a few red raspberries, some blackberries, and muskmelon. We have lots of tomatoes, including some lower priced ones for canning, plus popcorn, garlic, potatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, yellow and green beans, tomatillos and onions. In Princeton, we will also have a good selection of Plow Creek Bakery goodies.

We did not have much of a “July” red raspberry crop. These are the berries that form on the canes that grew up last year. The “fall” red raspberries are just starting. They are bigger and easier to pick, but are not plentiful yet. You may pick a few pints from the plants up Blueberry Hill at $3 / pint when you come to pick blueberries, but it would not be worth a trip just for raspberries; someone else might have picked them all just ahead of you.

We expect more raspberries in a week or two. I will let folks know here.

This week we moved the blueberry u-pick to self-serve, but that doesn’t mean there are not still lots of blueberries on blueberry hill. Yesterday I was able to pick 7 pints in an hour, in an area that was flagged as already picked. I’d estimate there is still about a ton of blueberries yet to pick. The berry size on most bushes is smaller, but not tiny. We are almost finished going over the rows with the weed whip, so it will be easier to find and pick the berries than it has been in the last couple weeks.

We were pleased to see Chicago Parent magazine ranked Plow Creek’s Blueberry hill as number one in their Summer Fun S.O.S. article. They entitled it Blueberry Hill Thrill. For those of you who aren’t old-timers, Blueberry Hill was a popular song that came out in 1940 and was recorded by many artists including Fats Domino, Louis Armstrong, Led Zeppelin.

Our Market Barn on Bottom Road is now open daily except Sunday, approximately 7 AM to 5 PM. Currently we just have blueberries available, but expect more products to be offered soon. We are located a half mile east of Tiskilwa. See map and directions. Daniel Foxvog will be the primary market host. Market is self-serve most of the time, so please bring exact change or a check.

Due to easy picking and large quantities, we are reducing the market price of blueberries from $6 a pint to $5.50 a pint, two pints for $10, or 6 pints for $27. You may also order the berries at 6 pints for $27. Of course, the $2.20 a pound for berries you pick yourself still costs you considerably less. We may return to our regular price late in the season when picking slows down.

Wednesday’s Blueberry U-Pick is canceled, due to rain and road conditions. Blueberry Hill road is very muddy and may not be safe for driving tomorrow. We plan to be open on Thursday, since the road will have time to dry up. The berries are ripening up - it looks like we should have over a hundred pounds of ripe berries to pick by Thursday.

Blueberry U-Pick opens Wednesday, June 16. I expect this is the earliest Plow Creek has ever opened blueberries. We expect a large crop, but picking starts out a bit slow, and most rows are not ready yet, so we could be picked out quickly. Unless you arrive near opening time, there is a risk that they could be gone later in the day. We recommend waiting a week or two to drive very far or plan on picking large quantities.

Tiskilwa’s 2010 Strawberry Festival is scheduled for Saturday, June 12, 2010 in West Park, Tiskilwa. The festival includes strawberry shortcake, fresh strawberries, hot lunch from the 4-H and more. Approximately 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

This Saturday in Princeton we will have lots of blueberries and strawberries. We will also be selling garlic scapes, lettuce, sugar snap peas, and snow peas, plus lots of Plow Creek Bakery goodies. The same produce (plus Strawberry Shortcake) will be available at the Strawberry Festival in Tiskilwa’s West Park.