Thornless Blackberries & Early Peaches Ripe Now

   'Natchez' thornless blackberries are still ripening, but this year's 'Natchez' crop was reduced by -9 F temperatures in January, and many customers are picking them.  'Apache', another thornless blackberry variety that we grow, has just started ripening, and customers began picking them this morning, July 1.  The most thornless blackberries will be ripe for picking from July 8 to July 26 or so.

Some 'Natchez' thornless blackberries are ripe for picking now, while some berries are still growing & will ripen over the next couple weeks.

   These are nice large berries, and there are NO thorns or chiggers.  Thornless blackberries are sold pick-your-own only, for $4.93 per quart + sales tax.  We provide quart containers, and have customers fill them level-full.  You'll bring the berries home in the quarts, set on cardboard trays, and we appreciate it if you bring us back the empty quarts and cardboard trays on your next visit to Reid Orchards.

   Some customers bring plastic or cardboard trays, or metal cookie sheets with sides, to set their quarts on, which we also appreciate.  Do NOT bring bowls to dump the berries into, as that could bruise them, and we want the berries to stay in the quarts they're picked into until you get them home and use them.

  We'll be closed all day on July 4th, but open our regular Summer Open Hours, as shown in the sidebar at left, every other day.  In summer, we're open Mon. to Sat. 7:30 a.m.to 12 noon and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Sundays 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. only.  We're closed Sun. mornings for church services (as we are year-round), and closed from 12 noon to 7 p.m. each day in summer due to high heat.

'Souveneirs' peach, a newer variety developed at the University of Arkansas, has very sweet, firm fruit. We have some 10-pound boxes like this one for sale.

   We started harvesting 'Souveneirs' peaches a few days ago, and have some for sale now during our Summer Open Hours.  All our peach varieties are yellow freestone peaches, and more peaches will keep ripening until about Aug. 20.  We harvest all the ripe peaches each day, and mainly sell them in 10-pound boxes.  Harvested peaches sell for $1.58 per pound + sales tax for #1 fruit with no damage.  We usually pick some nice #2 fruit that sells for $1.28 per pound + sales tax, and sells out quickly.  

   We also still have many cracked pecans and some 'Gold Rush' apples for sale now.  We sell cracked pecans in 4-pound bags, which are over 75% pecan kernels and under 25% shell fragments.  Each bag has the equivalent of 6 pounds of in-shell pecans, and when you pick out the kernels, you get 3 pounds or more of nutmeats.  Each bag costs $19.70 + sales tax.

   'Gold Rush' apples keep in top condition for fresh eating for 10 to 11 months in a fridge when stored in the plastic bags I packed them in.  This apple variety has gotten sweeter after 7 months of cold storage, as starches converted into sugars.

   Harvested apples sell for $1.48 per pound + sales tax for #1 fruit with no damage.  We have some very nice #2 fruit that sells for $1.18 per pound + sales tax.   #2 'Gold Rush' apples, with small cracks or other surface damage, are great for cutting into slices for fresh eating, baking and making apple butter.

   Updated projected sales dates for all our crops are shown in the sidebar at left under Crop Sales Seasons.  That also tells which crops we sell harvested, and which crops we sell pick-your-own.

   As always, we take cash or checks for payment, but NO credit cards or debit cards, and no "apps".  We don't use a smart phone, and have no phone line to the sales building.  So please bring your checkbook or enough cash to cover the amount of produce you want to buy.  Thanks.