Fruit Update
At the moment the Sundrop Apricots are starting to show some nice colour so hopefully we will be starting P.Y.O on January 10.
The Roxburgh Red should be ready about January 16, the Moorparks around the 22 and the Stevens Favourite a little bit later on.
P.Y.O Peaches and Nectarines should be ready about January 20.
If we have a nice bit of hot weather then everything will probably be ready a little earlier but I’ll be posting regular updates on the blog so you’ll all be kept up to date with the latest.
And on another note, I bet my own record last night.
I shot 25 rabbits in 30 minutes while out moving my irrigation.
Let the good times roll!
Still Got Cherries!!
A lovely 27c day here in Hercules Flat.
I can hear the Apricots ripening as I write this blog so hopefully by January 10 it will be all go with P.Y.O!
We only have Cherries, Broad Beans and Eggs on the Stall at the moment.
The Cherries are Dawson, Lapin and Stella.
We are keeping our fingers crossed for the next variety of Spuds to start in the next week.
The rabbits got 50 lettuces in one night, finished the last of the peas off and nibbled the tops of the carrots!!!!
Ruby also lost quite alot of Lemom Balm, Parsley and Marjoram plants.
At about 10pm each night after I move the irrigation for the last time I go and shoot around 20 rabbits and if I wasn’t so tired I could easily get another 20 or 30.
I think it’s safe to say that Roxburgh is experiancing a plague of rabbits!!!
The Best and Worst Of 2012
Since it’s Christmas Day I’ve decided that instead of the usual Fruit Updates, we need something different.
Heres Our Favourite Picture of 2012: Me and Ruby at Queenstown back in October
Our Favourite Joke of 2012 (Sent to us by both Dr Dave and our friend Racheal G. )
My wife and I were sitting at a table at her high school reunion, and she kept staring at a drunken man swigging his drink as he sat alone at a nearby table.
I asked her, “Do you know him?”
“Yes”, she sighed,
“He’s my old boyfriend. I understand he took to drinking right after we split up those many years ago, and I hear he hasn’t been sober since.”
“My Goodness!” I said, “Who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?”
And Last But Not Least Some of the Photos of 2012 That We All Want To Forget ASAP!
Merry Christmas!
Out Of New Spuds
We are out of new spuds at the moment.
The variety that was meant to be ready in time is about 1 – 2 weeks late due to the cold spring.
We still have plenty of Cherries, Broad Beans, Peas and Eggs available on the Stall though.
Dawson Cherries Starting This Weekend
We are hoping to start our Dawson Cherries on Friday.
We will also have new spuds, eggs, peas and broad beans on the Stall as well.
The Cherry crop throughout Central Otago is a bit on the light side this year but there will be plenty available on the Stall.
The Fruit Season is running about a week or so later than usual due to a cool spring and not enough sunshine.
We are hoping to be starting Sundrop Apricots and Wilson’s Early Plums around January 10.
I’ll be keeping the blog updated very regularly from now on so you’ll always be able to find the latest info on Fruit Availability here.
Remember if you have any questions regarding fruit, etc then just flick us an email or give us a call.
Out Of Early Cherries
We are out of early Cherries.
We only have some new spuds (2.5kg for $5), Eggs (1doz for $5) and some Comfrey plants ($4/plant) on the Stall at the moment.
At this stage we hope to have Dawson Cherries starting around December 20 if we get some nice fine weather.
We Are Open!
The Fruit Stall is Open from today onwards with:
. A limited supply of early Chapman Cherries (not available for Courier), $8/kg bag
. Lovely New Spuds, 2.5kg box for $5
. Comfrey Plants, $4 a plant
The main crop Cherries (Dawson) will be starting approx. Dec 21 along with tasty garden Peas and Broad Beans.
If your cruising past on your way Central then pop on in and say Gidday.
A Duck Named Ping
The other day our friend Alice found a motherless duckling whilst she was walking her dog.
As she has a cat as well as a dog she decided the best thing was to find a home for it quick smart.
This is how we became the family for the said duckling which is now named Ping after Mum’s favourite childhood storybook character.
The photo shows Ping on his first night here. He slept in a tuff tub with his new friend, Baby Bear.
The next morning Ruby and I modified an old apple bin so Ping has a permanent home.
This delightful little thing is so cute and I never thought I’d say that about a duck!
A Simple Explanation Of Frost Fighting
What a few days of frost fighting I’ve had!
I’ve been asked via email on quite a few occasions as to what is involved with the whole frost-fighting process.
So here goes; a simplified version so as not to bore you senseless; we have an overhead sprinkler system set up in the Orchard which is run by a tractor-powered pump located just below our irrigation dam.
At this time of year the immature fruit on the trees are highly sensitive to frost damage.
I have a frost alarm set up in my bedroom which alerts me when the temperature hits 2 degrees C.
This means it’s time to get up and patrol the Orchard and monitor the temperatures as there are temperature variations throughout the property.
If the temperature reaches around 0.4 degrees Celsius in the coldest area, I then crank up the pump and the sprinklers kick into action.
The water is sprayed on the trees and acts as an insulator when temperatures reach the freezing point of 0 degrees Celsius.
The fruit is protected by the process of the ice forming a “cocoon” around the fruit.
However it is vital the ice is constantly being formed otherwise the temperature of the fruit will rapidly drop and within 30 minutes serious tissue damage will occur, killing the fruit.
This is why the sprinklers are run until the air temperature is well above freezing .
If we don’t frost fight or if there is a delay in starting up the tractor then the frost will cause the cells of the fruit to crystalize and splinter and after the couple of days the tissue of the fruit will turn brown and die.
Not a very pleasant scenario for any Orchardist as that means you have lost your income.
Time for a Bit of Nostalgia
Here’s a trip down memory lane, a photo of me and mum taken back in October 1992!
