Frost = Bad News

In the early mornings of May 10th and 11th the area experienced isolated patches of fairly severe frost. In the spring, during the early stages of fruit development, frost can cause catastrophic damage with the potential to completely eliminate that years yield. Any temperatures below freezing are dangerous, anything below 30 degrees Fahrenheit is considered killing levels and temperatures below 25 will almost always result in complete loss. The morning of May 11th dipped to 27 degrees from ~4:30 to 5:30am.

While we do have several forms of frost prevention, all are very labor and cost-intensive and none guarantee 100% protection. Unfortunately we were caught completely off guard by the first frost and have suffered substantial damage. We are not completely wiped out, but at this point in time we're estimating that at least 50% of our apple crop is damaged beyond saving. Fortunately, the frost was avoided in our warmer plots, so we do still plan on doing Pick-Your-Own this fall, as well as picking all the orchards that did dodge mother nature's bullet.

As for other fruits, it is still too soon to tell the exact extent of the the damage, but we are fairly sure that nearly 100% of the early varieties of strawberries (e.g. "Early Glow", "Jewel", etc.) were destroyed. This means that the season will be delayed until at least mid-June when we hope the later varieties that have survived will be ready. While it's hard to be certain, it seems like the cherries handled the cold better than anything else, but it will take some time to be sure.

We realize that many of you eagerly await Dressel Strawberries and we'd like you to know that we are just as disappointed as you are with the situation and we are still doing everything we can to bring you the highest quality fruit possible.

We thank you for your understanding and encourage you to continue to check this blog, as well as our Facebook page, for up-to-the-minute information and status updates.

Ice Cream, Anyone?

The ice cream stand will be reopening on Mother's Day- that's Sunday, May 9th!

Hours will be:

Month of May:
Monday - Thursday from 4pm - 9pm
Friday - Sunday from noon - 9pm

May 31st through the summer:
Sunday - Thursday from noon - 9pm
Friday and Saturday from noon - 10pm

Mention this post on Mother's Day and receive a FREE SMALL CONE! Hurray!

Crisp Apples Still Available

While you might not think of March as prime apple time, thanks to modern post-harvest handling technology we still have lots of great, crispy apples available. We're opening new long-term storage rooms every couple weeks so we're never low on good fruit.

If you stop in the retail stand, be sure to ask which apples are fresh from the CA (controlled atmosphere) room to ensure the crispiest (is that a word?) apples we have.

For more information on Controlled Atmosphere, check this out: http://www.usapple.org/consumers/storage.cfm

Honeycrisp

Our Honeycrisp stock is starting to dwindle. You guys are buying 10 bushels every week and we're running out. We figure we've got somewhere between 3 and 4 weeks left, so if you're a Honeycrisp fan you better get your fill soon. After they're gone they won't be back until October!

Twitter

In the interest of technology and all things trendy, Dressel Farms has joined all the Tweeters and created its very own Twitter account. You can follow us @DresselFarms for more frequent (and less wordy) updates on anything and everything happening on the farm. Our tweets will be broadcast on the frontpage of Dresselfarms.com as well as on this page and will also be linked to our Facebook page, so even if you don't have a Twitter account you'll be able to keep more tabs on us than you ever even thought you needed or wanted. Isn't technology ridiculous?

Helping with your resolution

How's that "I'm going to get in shape" resolution going? Need a hand? Check out this link. Apples make the perfect snack. They're healthy AND delicious just the way they are. How many foods can say that?

For all those people like me who didn't make resolutions (or have already given up)- I've got you covered, too. Click here and here. You're welcome.

Our New Building

Recently we've been getting a lot of questions about the large new structure being erected next to the winter sales room. If you've even driven past the farm you've surely seen the frame being put up. Right now it looks something like this:
















To answer your questions, this is eventually going to become a new cold storage building with 4 rooms each of which will be large enough to hold ~12,000 bushels (~1,920,000 lbs). Due to new developments in agricultural technology, as well as our installation of miles of deer fencing, we've increased our yields to the point where our current storage space is insufficient. We've been renting cooler space from another farmer who has exited the market, but we're quickly outgrowing his building as well.

The building will be state-of-the-art allowing us to effectively store apples for up to 10 months while still maintaining the freshness and crispness that meet our high standards. The frame and roof will be completed soon and then in April it will be enclosed and sealed airtight.