8-09-2023 4:28am

FRUITS & VEGGIES

Hunt Valley Life Staff

SHAW ORCHARDS

5594 Norrisville Rd.

White Hall, MD

VISIT IT HERE

If you have been waiting to get your freezing/canning peaches, now is the time. The season is running two weeks ahead of schedule, so get them while they are still plentiful. Our current varieties (Flamin’ Fury, Contender and Messina) are the very best for preserving, and we have large quantities of second quality peaches at a reduced price of $15 per half bushel. That comes out to about 60 cents per pound!

Berry picking is available daily with good conditions on blackberries and red raspberries. Blueberries are still available with fair conditions on our late variety plants (be sure to ask for directions).

Early Honeycrisp apples will be available at the market starting Friday afternoon. This is the best summer apple on the market!

Our own sweet corn is now available. It is our favorite variety and should be available for the next 6-8 weeks.

We still have nectarines in the market, but white peach supplies are beginning to dwindle. We expect to sell out of white peaches over the weekend.

Plums are between varieties right now, but we expect to see them again in about a week.

Vegetables at the market this week include zucchini, Romaine lettuce, eggplant, garlic, candy onions, green beans, grape and berry tomatoes, green peppers, red potatoes, slicing tomatoes and more. We also have local cantaloupe and watermelon.

And if you didn't see our Facebook post, we are doing a "card shower" for our employee Nathan who was hurt in a non-work accident. He has been in the hospital a couple weeks and could use a little cheer. Just drop off a card at the market and we'll get it to him!

The Shaw Farm -- c. 1890

The Shaw family has deep roots reaching back seven generations. The family farm began in 1841 when Jacob Yost, a shoemaker purchased the land. His son, Charles Yost, built the family's farmhouse in 1860. It is still home to the family, 10 feet north of the Mason Dixon Line. Charles' grandson, Russell Shaw, planted the first commercial fruit trees in 1909.

Clay Shaw

Russell's son, Clay, expanded the operation after he returned from World War II, planting Red Delicious and other popular apple varieties. His son, Glenn, returned to the farm in the 70's after earning advanced degrees in food science and horticulture. Glenn's wife, Mary Sue, became a familiar face at the farm market, and was the driving force behind our move into pick-your-own. In 2013, the seventh generation moved back to the farm as Barron and his wife, Jana, took over the operation.