Farmers Market

This is berry and cherry weekend!

Sat, 19 May 2012 04:15:00 GMT

Other great things are broccoli, cauliflower, and grilling zucchini and sweet onions. Plenty of herbs and kale. Our new crop of cilantro and dill are looking excellent along with the sweet basil. Cherries are big, dark, and flavorful, except for the Raineer (yellow) type. Blueberries and blackberries are more abundant, great flavors. Strawberry size is slightly increased from small to medium, good tasting crop. White nectarines are my current favorite amongst the wind kissed yellow nectarines and white and yellow peaches. Sunflower bunches beautiful. There are a few burpless Japanese type cucumbers, and we will have to wait one more week before starting with green tomatoes for the fry pan. If it helps, we will be putting on a few special deals, especially for those of you who are whole box buyers. This is a great time of year to capture the flavors of the season by freezing, jamming, etc. and we don't want anybody to miss a great tastebud experience. Greg Tesch www.teschfamilyfarms.com

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Cherries, Berries and other tree fruits!

Fri, 11 May 2012 22:32:00 GMT

It's a crazy time of year. Winter veggies along with good tasting tree fruits. Highlights: Cherries Blueberries Strawberries Blackberries White nectarines Yellow nectarines Yellow peaches White peaches Apriums Herbs: parsley, basil, thyme, Rosemary, mint, oregano, sage, chives Broccoli Cauliflower Sunflowers Kohlrabi Kale Zucchini Beets Sweet yellow and red onions Garlic I might be too sleepy and have forgotten something. Hope to see you early AM at the farmers market. Greg Tesch www.teschfamilyfarms.com

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Strawberries and nectarines, broccoli , kale, and cauliflower!

Fri, 04 May 2012 14:08:00 GMT

Pretty basic, we have a lot of winter veggies, herbs, and the beginning of summer fruits. Strawberries continue to be a major item. They aren't as pretty as coastal berries, but a little more mature, and hopefully your eyes aren't you taste buds, give them a chance, we will provide the opportunity. Summer fruits generally don't have as much sugar concentrated in early May compared to June through August, and are improving weekly, and providing some early season enjoyment. We are loaded with broccoli and cauliflower, so we want those to be high on the menu this week. Highlights: strawberries nectarines peaches a few blueberries and cherries (blackberries starting next week) broccoli cauliflower kohlrabi beets kale herbs and all that other stuff we need to harvest today and get into our Arvin cooler so that the shelf life is as fresh as your garden veggies (maybe even better) The life of this farmer currently consists of 2 parts work, one part everything else, which includes not much sleep. This trend is likely to continue seasonally for the next few months, which makes me extremely happy for the slower seasons of 1 part sleep, 1 part work, and 1 part everything else. Please tell your kids to continue their education. Farming can be rewarding, but this season seems to benefit those of ansomniac tendencies, who don't mind lots of labor. I choose it, so here we go, another summer season. The fruits are the reward, and I hope all enjoy. Other things coming soon to the highlights list include Pluots / plums, tomatoes, peppers and muskmelons in about a month, watermelons slightly later. Burpless and mostly curled (not strait, thin skinned) cucumbers are starting with blackberries, and Apriums /apricots next week. Thanks for your friendship and consumption of fresh tasty locally grown good things that enhance our lifestyles. See you at the farmers markets! Greg Tesch www.teschfamilyfarms.com

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Strawberries and nectarines...

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 03:59:00 GMT

Busy days! Highlights: Strawberries Nectarines Kale Sweet onions Broccoli Cauliflower Zucchini Herbs Beets Fennel Kohlrabi Garlic Blueberries Cherries Peaches, white and yellow Hope all will double your fruit and vegetable consumption this week as that is what we would wish, as we serve up much taste bud enjoyment at the farmers market. It's strawberry freezer jam time, add nectarines also to that list. Greg Tesch www.teschfarms.com

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Hot strawberry and broccoli newflash

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 23:18:00 GMT

We picked way more strawberries and broccoli than expected due to very warm conditions. The quality and ripe condition is excellent with great flavor, tasting is believing! All fresh harvest is chilling now in the Arvin cooler, waiting for a 5:30 AM loading appointment with me and my trailer. We have stem strawberries for dipping!!! See you at the Golden State Mall, 8-noon Saturday. Greg Tesch www.teschfamilyfarms.com

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From freeze to scorch in 15 days - Peaches and strawberries Saturday!

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 04:57:00 GMT

The first peaches of the season are on a truck to Oakland this afternoon, and more will be next Monday. In between, you will get a look at a few boxes of mild yet good flavored early season yellow peaches. Many might say, peaches aren't ready until July, and that would be true if you were born in 1930, and had only experienced fruit from your grandmothers garden. The breeders / plant variety developers of such fruits have every year selected for earlier and later, and in 2012, we have the ability from one farm location in Lamont, CA to experience a half year of summer flavor. In case it means anything to you, this is controlled pollination work, not gene splicing. You are not eating fish genetics, for that you will need to go fishing! A good idea in August! Strawberries are abundant, and we are picking trays of long stem berries for whatever, enjoyment, chocolate dipping, etc. We will also have the traditional 3 packs, pints, and sell by the flat, with still a little sandy soil attached occasionally as the last over 1" of rain just recently occurred 6 days ago, kind of messed up perfection, but without it there would be perfectly nothing, take your pick. We have not applied a fungicide, as is common agricultural practice in the more humid and cooler coastal commercial production areas. We have taken a few losses, picked to throw away, and trusted that our typical dry breezes would help dry out our situation enough to prevent wide spread destruction, and so far so good. Disking weeds is definitely on the menu as well as getting commercial peach and nectarine harvest underway. Cherries will be soon to follow, but the birds haven't waited. They seem hungry for green fruit this year, incredible! Putting the pieces together to lease more farmland is not just as easy as buying a car, so work continues. Highlights: Peaches, yellow, old fashioned mild (it's April) flavor like late May. Strawberries, red beauties, lots of them! Broccoli, huge crowns Kale, plentiful supplies Bunched herbs, many varieties as usual Fennel Kohlrabi Cauliflower Leaf lettuces Sweet onions Garlic and elephant garlic Forecasted future summer items: Summer squashes, slowly starting this week, after 2 almost wipeout frost events this spring. More basil as time and temperature increases. Apriums in 2 weeks, with a few cherries and blueberries and blackberries. Plums / Pluots, tomatoes, cucumbers, and muskmelons late May (because we grew them under plastic). Peppers in June Watermelons, hopefully around early July (replanted after frost destruction). Green beans, sweet corn, and sunflower plantings have been reduced this season, as we cannot do everything in a big way, and are choosing our battles so to speak. We always hope to have tomatoes all summer, and we are planting for that this season, insects and heat are our worst enemies. We hope to see you on Saturday morning. We will bring 4 of our typical summer 6 shade canopies, and hope you will help us sell out early, as I have a peach harvest in the field to attend to, and more tractor work. Then indoor youth soccer in the evening. I appreciate you giving me this opportunity, being loyal customers, and hope we all enjoy the fresh results. Susan has a simple, quick strawberry dessert: 6 cups sliced strawberries, 1 yellow cake mix, 1 cup butter, cubed Layer half the strawberries, half the cake mix and half the butter, repeat layers. Bake 350F for 1 hour. Yummy. Greg Tesch www.teschfamilyfarms.com

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We were aware of today's forecast yesterday, RAIN!!!

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:23:00 GMT

Timing is everything, glad the rain is today, Friday, and not Saturday. Would have wished for this in January as well, so would the skii resorts. This free water will cost me thousands on fungicide and labor/machinery as soon as we can get in the orchards. Asking me if we ever apply pesticides to our crops is like me asking you if you ever apply soap/shampoo in the shower, and the true answer is that while our crops are naked out there most of the time, we do protect as seldom as we need to, and this is one of those "need to" times. We are glad you all protect/clean all the time, at least when going out to the public market. I can say that rarely will we every directly apply to our veggie and herb crops, we have been known to take losses there of varying (usually minor) degrees, most crops. We harvested Thursday afternoon for Saturday's market. Glad for modern refrigeration! Highlights include rained on (from Wednesday's storm) strawberries, lettuces, broccoli, kohlrabi, cauliflower, first of our sweet onions with green tops, lots of kale, herbs (no basil this week as last Friday morning's frost set us back. We will bring frozen blackberies and boysenberries. I'm sure I have forgotten a few items, but paying bills, attempting to lease more farm land, and getting my farm trucks ready for fruit harvest is on my mind as well. This would all not be possible if there was not a water well on my neighbor's property, Howard Frick Farms, in Lamont. Grimmway has that farm leased, and between my willingness to pay for their water in February, and Grimmway's willingness to pump it and pipe it to my farm, we all can enjoy another year of fresh prosperity at the farmers market. This was literally a life saver this dry spring. We must never forget our gracious neighbors, and the resources available through their kindness. (My Lamont farm is a lease, otherwise I would be looking to invest in a well, and only is served seasonally by canal water, and there was no canal water available until March 15 this season due to drought this past winter). Thanks to you all as well, willing to come search out great produce. We are all hear for the improvement of our lifestyles, hope I can help in some small measure. See you on sunny Saturday:), Greg Tesch www.teschfarms.com

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Strawberries and Kale...

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 23:38:00 GMT

The strawberry crop is finally responding to better pickers who are trained top pick riper fruit, and to good irrigation and fertil;ization. The 8 boxes we are bringing tomorrow, just picked, look very nice, taste good (not great yet), and are pretty clean, as the effects of our dust and rain storms is dwindling. We are loaded with kale as well. Blackberries are blooming now, fresh harvest about a month away, and we have frozen blacks and boysens as well. As we arrived this morning in Lamont (from Bakersfield), we were not able to pick early, as there was a light fropst across the whole vegetable patch. The summer squashes which had recovered just got knocked again, and we lost more tomatoes, melons, cucumbers, basil, things just looking good. Our watermelons are a total loss. As is tradition, I will expect we will go from frost to scorch, or at least it might feel like that coming right up. Irrigation practices, well, I hope we are saturated by tomorrow morning, as we are attempting to be ready. Will change valves tonight, round trip = 60 miles. There are lots of veggies including cilantro, and the traditional winter herbs, the first basil, a little broccoli, cauliflower, and kohlrabi. Good strawberries too, come see the rest. Golden State Mall, F and Golden State Hwy., 8-noon. Look for the Tesch Family Farms logo on our new boxes/trays! Sweet onion season with tops included begins next week. Greg Tesch www.teschfamilyfarms.com

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Looking good for farmers market March 31

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 04:23:00 GMT

The kale is outstanding, broccoli and cauliflower, and a few romanesco too. Leafy lettuces very fresh, lots of excellent herbs. A few dusty fresh strawberries, flavor getting better. Frozen blackberries and boysenberries! There are plenty more of minor veggies, come and see. It has been another challenging week to keep up with spring farming activities, but those challenges met now will yield sweet success at maturity. Our summer crops, while somewhat delayed by some late light frost, (squash and watermelons), tomatoes and muskmelons may be ahead of schedule. Some basil next week. Taft has announced a Thursday night market starting May 3 through labor day (approximately), 5PM-dark. Tehachapi plans to begin late this season, mid June, Thursdays 4-7PM. They will miss the bulk of berry season, and all of cherry season due late starting as the Main Street staff decided to keep the dates compressed/ limited this season. We hope to open up in Lamont and Delano on Tuesdays in mid May, but these locations are nearly 95% WIC voucher markets, and we love seeing the occasional cash customer. Earlimart should begin around mid May as well, Tuesday afternoons. There are other locations, but our best grower sales success comes from Saturday mornings, where you have shopped with Tesch Family Farms for about a decade and a half, so far. This is the last big soccer weekend locally for AYSO (my youngest daughter), and it will be state cup in a couple of weeks for the olders (my son with CCB). For my oldest, it's the Bakersfield youth symphony, Sunday night, April 15, location CSUB Dore Theatre, 4PM www.bakersfieldsymphony.org/byso. We hope to see you at the market early tomorrow, sales 8AM-Noon. The first ripe peach of the season will be picked late April (bloomed in January). Much taste-bud fun just around the corner, even this Saturday. Greg Tesch www.teschfamilyfarms.com

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Big changes, spring is here, come to farmerts market!

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 03:31:00 GMT

We have about double the amount of greens, veggies, and herbs, and just a few strawberries, not to proud there yet, too much bad weather earlier. Highlights: Kale, lots of kale!, mustard, collard greens Herbs : Chives, cilantro, parsley, mint, oregano, rosemary, thyme Gold and red swiss chard Broccoli, and romanesco (broccoli x cauliflower hybrid) Beets, and more beets Leaf lettuces: romaine, red leaf and butter, bib A few strawberries (and too much wind and rain, not the best yet) Frozen blackberries and boysenberries, a few blueberries (end of frozen blueberries) Farming is now about labor management, machinery operation and management, weed control, insect monitoring and management, disease management, soil and crop fertility (they are seperate and different), and lots of hours and miles. Lots of field time, paperwork, not fun at night. You too will find that the harder I work, the luckier you will get with fresh fruits and vegetables. Looking for more land to plant cherries... Basil in about 3 weeks, squashes severely stunted, tomatoes could be ready late May if we are lucky. Peaches, nectarines, and Apriums by early May. Greg Tesch www.teschfamilyfarms.com refereeing and coaching soccer these next 2 Saturdays, then GU12 spring season concludes.

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Farmers market = greens

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 15:41:00 GMT

A very dissapointing farming week with freeze damage and destruction in the early summer squashes, some damage to tomatoes, peppers, melons. We hope that some of the early summer squash plants recover. It was only about 2 hours of freeze, happened after the windstorm blew off our plastic covers, and the temp dropped out at 5AM. It took some early strawberries too. As last season, we will likely start with strawberries in volume at the end of this month and early April. This Saturday: Special on greens: Kale, collards, mustard. There are other items as well, similiar to the last several weeks, but we will want to concentrate on these items, and will have huge supplies here, as we harvest all in this particular area of the field to make way for a mid-late summer maturing tomato planting, and more melons and squash. This is greens week! Greg Tesch www.teschfarms.com

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