Tag Archives: superfood

health, Uncategorized

Meet the Fogle’s in the Field

IMG_9765_smallIMG_9846_smallA few weeks ago when the Aronia berries were in full bloom, we decided to have a family photo taken.  Our family has grown, as have the berries, since we first began blogging about our Aronia plantation.

Those three little beauties in the top picture love to help Grandpa and Grandma.  Anytime they hear that mower turn on, the oldest ones know it’s time for a ride.  Sometimes we even hitch up a utility trailer and go for “wagon rides”.  The beautiful blonde was pictured helping plant berries when she was a toddler.  Now she’s nearing 7 and can explain all about Aronia berries.  The middle one would just as soon have a handful of purple and a stained face about harvest time.  She loves eating right off the bush, as does Abe, our Rottweiler.  Aggie, his little sidekick, hasn’t had the chance to enjoy Aronia except in dog treats.   Abe and Aggie are our “critter control”.  The whole family has helped plant berries and we rely on our son’s horticulture degree and farming experience for advice and muscle from time to time.

We recall the days spent planting those little 4″ twigs and wishing and wondering how they’d grow.  Now look at the beautiful bushes over 6′ tall in some areas.  As you walk between the rows, it’s like being in another place.  They are truly a beautiful addition to our property.  We wish you could have seen the beautiful flowers and smelled the aroma of Aronia in bloom along with us that evening.   Now we tend, wait, and watch for late August and a bumper crop of berries.

 

 

food, health

Aronia Berries Available in Stores

Earlier this month we placed Fogle’s Aronia Berries in several local grocery stores.  We are so excited to be able to make these healthy berries more accessible.  We’ve enjoyed greeting folks and talking Aronia at local stores as we share how tasty they can be.  So if you’re checking out our page here, we welcome you!  We hope you’ll investigate for yourself the benefits of Aronia, check out our Recipes page, and learn more about our favorite superfood.file-feb-21-5-21-12-pm

Uncategorized

What a Summer!

We had such high hopes for our crop this year and were so excited for the changes we were making to our farm.  Yet another lesson in patience.

We ordered our Weed Badger in early April and hoped to be ready to till around the plants in May.  I should never have trusted and sold the little riding mower that went between the small plants.  The weed badger showed up last week!  But it is going to be awesome.  We need some practice with it, but it will do the job, we’re just set back a year.

On June 17th while mowing we noticed all kinds of damaged to the berry bushes.  We couldn’t decide if the heavy winds the night before had damaged our plants or just what had happened.  Turns out it was the 17-year cicada emergence.  They really did a number on us.  The females bury their eggs into the small stems of plants.  Well our place is very wooded and was 17 years ago too, so we had a terrible infestation.  It was like walking on crunchy shells everywhere in our fields.  Turns out they were a problem.  We had lots of branches die and many more erupted and weakened so they did not support all the berry production.  Our crop suffered dramatically and probably will next year too.  We’re thankful it’s only every 17 years!

Cicada Damaged Bush
Cicada Damaged Bush
Cicada Damaged Branch
Cicada Damaged Branch

June 16th our Horizon Building arrived after a LOT of dirt work that was done, thanks to our son.   The wonderful Amish crew had the building up in a week, mostly.  It rained and rained all summer and the inside was muddy, our granddaughter loved mud stomping inside!  The floor was finally poured (in the rain) August 27th.  But we have a place to put all the equipment for winter storage and it’s wonderful.

Mudstomping Inside the Building
Mudstomping Inside the Building

IMG_1893

Through all the rain, weeds, and cicada damage, we’ve been so impressed at how hardy these plants are.  Plants we put in the ground two years ago have really thrived despite the conditions they had to deal with this year.  That field was neglected this summer with all the rain and the lack of a good way to mow between the plants and the cicada damage as well, but they look really good.

We keep believing the plants will be able to produce a nice crop for us.  We have had friends with excellent yields.  Meanwhile, we keep finding new ways to enjoy them.

Uncategorized

We Have Berries!

It’s been a long time since I’ve posted.  Mainly because life has been crazy.  If we’re not enjoying our beautiful granddaughter, we’re probably working in the yard or the berry fields.   Truth is there’s nothing we’d rather be doing!

We had a rough winter because after planting last fall, Woody suffered a farm injury and broke two ribs and tore his rotator cuff.  So there’s been a lot of rehabilitation going on.  Needless to say we made a few changes to the equipment and are more safety conscious.

Early in the spring we put grow tubes around the smaller berries in an effort to keep the critters from pulling them out and eating on them.  It was really a good decision for us.  Abe and Sasha chase off deer at least two or three times daily so every little bit of prevention helps.  The berries we put in last fall are coming out the tops of the grow tubes we placed around them and they look really healthy.   We did remove the grow tubes once to use a foliar spray which was the easy part.  Replacing them all after the deer had pulled out five plants, was a pain in the rear.

I’ve been spending a lot of time this summer with “my new favorite tool,”  a DR Power Trimmer.  It really is a good solution for getting in between the berries and taking the grass and weeds down low.   For me especially, the California emission motor, and 16″ wheels makes it far easier to use than either a weed eater or a small lawn mower.  It has been a real help this summer keeping weeds under control.   We have a picture of Woody using the trimmer.

We attended the Midwest Aronia Association Conference earlier this summer.  It was eye-opening seeing and talking to so many other folks interested in the same berries.  We learned even more about these healthy little berries, their history and use in Poland, and their potential.  We also dined on several delicious entrees prepared using aronia berries.

We have fertilized with fish emulsion, watered, trimmed between bushes, and loved up on the plants all summer long.  Now we are encouraged because we have berries!  Not very many yet, because it’s still a little early.  The plants take three to four years to produce a crop, but we have some producing and expect a few more next year.  Our first bushes are two and a half years old.

The few berries we have (that we haven’t already eaten) will be frozen and eaten.  From what we’re reading, 1/4 cup of berries daily is so beneficial for your health.  There are studies which point to lowering cholesterol and preventing diseases.  I’ll post more about that later, but right now, I can’t wait to show the photos!  [slideshow]