Little bit of this with a Whole Lot of That!

6/9

Things are getting exciting here at Sunny Hill! With another gorgeous week and a little "T.L.C" the produce is making up for lost time! Lets take a look at how everything progressed this last week!

6/3

With the beautiful weather, we were able to get out and transplant the last of our crops. Now the peppers are in ground and ready to grow. :) Once again we're using the plastic tarp method that we used earlier this season with the onions, potatoes and tomato plants.

6/3

A couple days later we checked on the pepper plants again and saw the changes that had occurred.

The peas have also experienced quite a growth spurt in the last couple weeks. They started blossoming this last week which means that the pea pods are just around the corner :)

6/9

6/9

The recently transplanted tomato plants enjoyed the sun the last couple of weeks!

6/9

Next years Strawberry plants started budding this week. But of course, to guarantee Big, Beautiful Strawberries next year we need to pluck all the flowers off this season.

6/9

This season Strawberries changed drastically in the last couple of weeks, which is news that EVERYONE loves to hear.

On June 3 we went around and noticed that all the Strawberry plants were blooming with the beautiful sunshine we'd received.

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But after a week of the continuous sunshine and constant watering on our part the Strawberries changed from beautiful little flowers into little green berries.

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At this rate, the Strawberries should be ready by June 21 for Pick-your-own. Stay updated with Facebook to find out when picking begins or by calling us at (920) 434-9009.

Lastly, our sweet corn. Not quite ready to eat, but give it a couple weeks and it should be starting to produce those cobs of corn that we are all craving.

6/9

This will probably be our last week for Asparagus. So if you haven't come out to collect your fresh batch of Asparagus, be sure to make time this week to stop by. Also, keep your eye on our Facebook statuses to hear the most recent updates about our Pick-Your-Own Strawberries! You can also feel free to call the farm with any questions on any of our produce. We love to hear from you!

Till next time!

~Sunny Hill Farm

Asparagus now, Asparagus later :D

Its that time of the year. When Asparagus is prime for the picking and you can enjoy a nice family dinner with some fresh, Sunny Hill, Asparagus. But before you know it, Asparagus season ends and you have to wait a whole year before you can have it again. :(

But by freezing Asparagus and other fresh Sunny Hill produce, you can enjoy your favorite fruits and vegetables all year round!!
Freezing produce is like raising kids, everyone has their own way of doing it. :D Lol. So we're going to post the ways that have worked for us but if you have suggestions or better ways of freezing your fresh-picked produce, be sure to Comment below or send us a message on Facebook. Either way, we would LOVE to hear from you.

Step 1:The first step to freezing good produce is picking good produce. Sounds easy enough. :) When picking Asparagus you want to be sure the tips are standing up straight, not drooping. It should be bright green on the stem and darker green at the tip.

Once the Asparagus has begun to break apart and become "seed-like", it is overripe, therefore the Asparagus will be very stringy and tough. Just remember, the fresher the Asparagus is the better it is for freezing.

Step 2: Begin the Blanching process. Blanching is the scalding of vegetables in boiling water or steam. Why is blanching an important part of the freezing process? Well, you see, up until harvest time, enzymes cause vegetables to grow and mature. Blanching slows or stops the actions of enzymes. Without this process, the vegetables continue to ripen during the frozen storage which can cause off-colors, off-flavors and toughening. So, though the blanching can be annoying and time consuming, it is necessary if you want fresh garden flavor later.

To begin this process just fill a large pot with water and let it heat to a boil. Drop the Asparagus into the boiling water. Blanch about one pound at a time. Leave Asparagus in boiling water for 2-4 minutes. The timing here is crucial. If you don't blanch long enough, you will speed up the activity of the enzymes and that could be worse than not blanching at all. But if you blanch for too long, you have the risk of causing loss of flavor, color, vitamins, and minerals.

Step 3: Drain the Asparagus in a strainer.

Step 4: Quickly thereafter, plunge the Asparagus into cold water. By cooling the vegetables, you throughly stop the cooking process. Let Asparagus cool the same amount of time as it was blanched.

Step 5: Drain throughly and then put the Asparagus into freezer bags. Press air out of the bag and seal. Also be sure to label your bags so that you can differentiate from the rest of your frozen, Sunny Hill produce. :) Then you simply store in your freezer until you begin to crave some fresh Sunny Hill Asparagus!

Step 6: Continue steps 2-5 until all of your fresh Asparagus has been properly blanched and bagged for freezing. Make sure your boiling water continues to be boiled and your cold water continues to be cold.

And there you have it, a simple way to enjoy Sunny Hill Asparagus all year round. 

We're guessing we will have Asparagus for another 1 1/2 weeks, then we'll be moving on to our next season...STRAWBERRY SEASON. But be sure to collect ALL the Asparagus you need for the winter months ahead. 

Once again, Asparagus is $1.35/lb. Its always best to call the farm (920-434-9009) before you come by, to check produce availability and which fields have prime picking.

Till next time!

~Sunny Hill Farm

Sunshine, on my shoulders, makes me happy :)

What a beautiful, eventful week here at Sunny Hill. The warm weather has made such a difference in the crops this last week. But with the warm weather comes more work, which we were ready to take on!! Welcome to Summer, Wisconsin!!

Let's start with everyone's favorite subject this time of year...STRAWBERRIES.

Strawberry Fields Forever

Strawberry plants are a lot of fun to watch during the harvest season. During this time you’ll see strawberries in many different stages of development: they start as flowers, then become tiny green berries, then larger green berries, then big white berries and finally beautiful, ripe, red berries. With the cold spring we've had, the strawberries are finally to the flowering stage. After the flowers bloom, it usually takes about one month (anticipated starting date: June 26) before the strawberries are ripe. Though this is exciting, it will take a lot of work between now and then for them to be ready. Because strawberries, though very delicious, are a very stubborn plant ;)

Strawberries prefer a well drained soil, high in organic matter. They need full sun for the best possible results, at least 6 hours per day. Strawberries also need about one inch of water per week during the growing season. Translation:  We need lots of sunshine, warmth, and a steady amount of rain over the next 4-5 weeks or we need to be working round the clock to properly irrigate and make sure the strawberries are kept warm. So, this summer when you pick that perfect, yummy berry, know that it took a lot of things, to go just right, to make it so.

The peas have also grown a lot since the last post. Though, they are more of a fan of cooler weather, they have still been soaking up the sun and forming their biomass.

The corn has been coming up nicely as well. Of course, most of the crops are behind from last year because of the cold spring. But with the beautiful weather this last week, the plants collected as much of the sunshine as they could. Because, after all, we do live in Wisconsin...there may be a snowstorm right around the corner. Just Kidding...;)

The onions haven't changed very much. But they did get some more height since the last time we updated on them. They still have a ways to go though, but they are a midsummer crop. So, we'll just continue to watch and wait.

With the beautiful weather we were able to till the land to make way for new plants. This week was tomatoes. We spent most of our time transplanting tomato plants. Though it is not as precise and difficult as transplanting strawberries it is still very time consuming. But its all worth it, once we see those big, beautiful tomatoes.

The Tomato plants are ready to go!

So, that is our update for this beautiful week. We pray that weather continues to be warm and sunny for the weeks to come. Because, believe it or not, we are craving those sweet strawberries as well!

Finally, the woods is reflecting its summer beauty.

Till next time!!

~Sunny Hill Farm

Throwing the Rain and Cool weather in the mix...

After a week of sunshine and warm weather, we were so sad when we saw the forecast for this week. Rain, cool weather, and a possible overnight frost. : /

The Old Orchard came out in full blossom earlier this week, lets hope the frost doesn't ruin it :/

But even with these potential "road blocks" we still have a lot we need to accomplish. We still need to plant tomatoes, squash, peppers, and next years strawberries. 

We decided to spend the week getting next years strawberries in the ground. Some of you may be confused by this...Why would they be planting next years Strawberries when this years hasn't even begun??

Well, when it comes to planting an abundance of sweet, delicious strawberries it is best to allow the plants to establish themselves so they can produce a bountiful crop. So we give our Strawberry plants one full season to grow without harvesting, this is what helps to ensure the larger, more plentiful berries, that we all love, for the next year.  

The planting process is very tedious. We get our plants and we transplant them into the freshly, plowed earth using a tractor and a transplanter machine. The hired help feeds the plant into the machine and it plants the roots deep in the ground. However, the help needs to put it into the machine perfectly, otherwise you may not plant it high enough or deep enough. The plants should be settled in with their crowns at the surface of the soil. (The crown is the fleshy part of the plant where the leaves develop, just above the roots.) If planted too high, the roots will dry out, and if planted too deeply, the plants will not grow well. So it takes a very skilled hand to plant thousands of strawberry plants just right.

Now that you know the tedious process behind planting Strawberries, lets take a look and see if last year's hard work has paid off!

The Strawberries are continuing to blossom as the days go by. We are beginning to smell that sweet aroma, whenever we go into the field. With the warm weather and rain everything will continue to flourish. 

A lot of people have been wondering if the heavy rains from this week will have a negative effect on the crops. The answer is, No. Sunny Hill Farm is positioned ontop of a sand hill and moisture is NOT a problem on high, sandy ground. However, the cold weather has had a slowing effect on the crops. This explains why Strawberries are a little behind this year, but with the recent warm-up they're starting to bud now.

The Sugar Snap Peas are also enjoying the rain...not so much the cold. But even under the present circumstances they continue to grow everyday. The day to day changes are amazing to watch.

Though we still have awhile to wait for these vegetables to be in season, the Sweet Corn and Onions are beginning to come to life, as they burst forth from the ground and begin collecting their biomass.

The "Corn Stalks" are currently about the size of your thumb. They've got quite a ways to grow.

The rain definitely kept us on our toes this week. Numerous times we had to rush tractors and equipment out of the fields in order to beat the coming downpour. At one point, it began to hail and we became fearful that the hail would cause damage to our machines. But, Thank God, we were able to get everything put away in time. Also we are happy to announce that the overnight frost caused no damage to any crops! Praise the Lord! We're suppose to be receiving a warm-up in the week to come...will summer finally begin?? I guess we'll find out!!

Although delayed, the woods are finally beginning to take on their lush, green color.

Till Next Time!

~Sunny Hill Farm