Not Just an Apple Orchard
Fruits, Vegetables, Greenhouses, Farm Stand
Garden Center & Country Gift Shop
Lanni Orchards Newsletter
Hours: M-F 8:00-7:00 S/S 8:00-6:00 www.Lanniorchards.com September 2005
Summer Favorites
The
highlights this time of year include corn and
tomatoes. In addition to choosing varieties of corn
that have high yields, full ears, and sweet taste, we feel our corn
tastes
delicious for 2 main reasons: our soil composition and that we pick
corn fresh
every day. Even New England grown corn
in the supermarkets tends to be 3 days old (or older) before you even
get it
home. From the moment an ear of corn is
picked, the sugars immediately begin to convert to starches and
therefore lose
sweetness. Therefore fresher is better,
and our corn is picked fresh everyday.
As soon as the corn comes in from the fields we hydro cool it by
icing
it down and storing in our huge coolers.
Tomatoes,
on the other hand, tend to increase in flavor the longer they sit
around with
other tomatoes. Ethylene gases, which
tomatoes (and apples too incidentally) release into the air, cause the
tomatoes
to ripen. This ripening process is what
yields a rich, deep flavor. We have a
special tomato storage room that keeps them at 55-60 degrees where they
like it
best. There are hundreds of varieties
of tomatoes. In addition to our regular
tomatoes, we decided to plant 3 varieties of heirloom
tomatoes,
Brandywine,
Yellow Brandywine and Cherokee Purple.
These heirloom varieties were popular many years ago, and are
now
making a revival of sorts, gaining popularity on cooking shows and in
more
upscale restaurants. The reason is
simple; they just taste better. In
addition to oddly colored flesh, these tomatoes are often not uniform
in
shape. A growing portion of our
customers is demanding a less perfect looking fruit in support of a
superior
tasting fruit. Come in, try some out,
and let us know what you think.
Fresh From The Farm
In
the Fall, almost everything we have is “fresh from the farm.” We have a virtual plethora of fresh picked
fruits and vegetables during the month of August. We
are picking all of the following during some part of the month
of August: Raspberries and blueberries
(which we feature for pick your own) as well as peaches, plums,
nectarines,
pears and apples; and vegetables including beans (wax, green, Kentucky
wonder,
roma, and shell) summer and zucchini squash, 8-ball zucchini, sunburst
squash,
pickling and regular cucumbers, melons, peppers, eggplant, cabbage,
broccoli,
beets, kale, chards, and herbs like parsley and basil.
Did you know that in addition to picking
your own berries and apples that we welcome you to pick your own
vegetables as
well? Call ahead for your favorite crop
and make sure to bring your own baskets.
Recipe Corner
The
best way to enjoy tomatoes is fresh from the field.
Not processed or cooked, just cut up and eaten.
Here are 2 simple summer recipes my family
just cannot live without:
|
Tomato
and Green Bean Salad |
Tomato
and Mozzarella Salad |
|
3-4 ripe
tomatoes
1 pound green
beans
½
sweet onion
balsamic
vinegar
extra virgin
olive oil
salt and
pepper
Cook beans until just tender.
Cool quickly under
cold water. Cut
tomato and onion into bite size
pieces,
add to cooled beans. Toss with remaining ingredients
(add to your taste preference.) |
Fresh tomato
Fresh
mozzarella
Fresh basil
Olive oil,
salt, pepper
Slice
equal amounts of tomatoes and fresh
mozzarella.
Place tomato in one layer on a serving
platter
and top with a layer of cheese. Julienne basil. Sprinkle
Sprinkle
basil, salt and pepper over top. Drizzle
with olive oil. Serve immediately. |
What’s Coming Up…
In
September
apple harvest will be in full swing and we will start our weekend
festivals. Please call or check our
website, Lanniorchards.com, to see what is happening each weekend. We are currently working on an expansive
list of live entertainment and contests and fun for the whole family. Be sure to leave us your e-mail address so
we can notify you on dates for PYO items throughout the year.