Dear Friends,
“As of now, the crops look very good.” You hear me say this so often! It’s because, as any long-time fruit-grower knows, crop potential can change in a matter of minutes.
This winter was picture perfect. No extremely low temperatures and no extended warm periods. To date, we have escaped damaging frosts, and springtime rainfall has been welcome. (Hail? We won’t even “go there!”)
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I hope you’ve enjoyed our orchards as they bloom here
and there, some white and some pink in variety and timed according to projected harvest. The blossoms are truly magnificent!
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The Brown Family is proud to announce
the birth of Scott David Brown, shown
above with proud Grandpa Stan.
Congratulations to parents, Mary and
David. They named him in honor of his
late
uncle, Scott E. Brown. Scotty
weighed in at
8 lbs, 4 oz and was 20-1/2
inches long.
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Speaking of the bloom…let’s talk about the honey bee. To the fruit and vegetable grower, they are royal friends! Bees are extremely busy doing their job and unless you disturb them, they will not bother you.
Although peaches are self-pollinating and do not require bee activity, all other fruits and vegetables require cross pollination. Winds will help, but our friends are really needed in order for all of us to enjoy large, perfectly-shaped apples, etc. Cross pollination means that several specific varieties of apples are needed. The same is required for sweet cherries, pears, etc. We typically place 35 hives throughout the orchards for the bloom period of 2 to 3 weeks. We also bring hives for strawberries and pumpkins.
Of major concern to agriculture in recent years has been the sudden decline in bee population. Researchers around the world have been working on the problem. To date, they are looking at a microscopic size mite that can suffocate the bee, viruses or other environmental issues. We are fortunate to have a beekeeping friend, Jeff Davis, who has been inbreeding Russian bees into his colonies. The result has been a much hardier bee hive that can withstand the outside pressures.
To encourage interest in bee keeping, York Co. Beekeeper’s president, Jeremy Barnes, is in his second year of a “New Bee” program for newcomers. Our own greenhouse manager, Laura MacDonald, is assisting Jeremy. For educational purposes, we now have a small educational building which will include posters, an exhibition bee frame and an extractor for the “New Bee” folks to bottle the honey. We hope to market local raw honey soon. I assure you that the life of a bee hive is most fascinating. See May 31 on our schedule of events.
Many of you are enjoying Brown’s home-grown asparagus and looking forward to strawberries. Our fields will be open for pick-your-own in early June. We will keep you informed. Enjoy Brown’s own locally-produced fruits and vegetables as much as possible. They do not require the use of fuel needed to ship from afar. Locally-grown means nutritious and “FRESH”!
Enjoy the season and I hope to see you soon!
Your friend, Stan
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