Expected to be available in 2023: (All my fruits and vegetables are sold by weight, not volume.) Even though we are seeing higher prices in retail grocery stores, I am NOT raising my prices this year. Because my plants are established and perennial, my costs have not changed. If weather or other unforeseen conditions cause me to have smaller harvests, it just means fewer people will get my lovely food. And, as always, I reserve the right to limit quantities per order.

Discount pricing available on most items for Harvest Help.
See individual description (click on the link) for how much.

(*Elderberries and Persimmons are You Harvest Only.)

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We had zero apples in 2022. I have to blame it on the crop duster (grr). Fingers crossed for 2023!

If you want to be kept informed about them, contact me ASAP and tell me you are interested in apples so I can email, call, or text you when they are about ready to be harvested.

Then you simply contact me to set up your appointment to come out and pick up the already harvested amount you requested. (Assuming, of course, there are apples to BE harvested. Fingers and toes crossed.)

I have three (3) varieties planted and the fruits are shown at left in order:

Jonathan
Gala
Yellow Delicious

Seeing as this is STILL my first year to harvest, I am NOT offering a pick your own option. If it goes well, I'll likely add it next year.

What the heck is that? I hear you saying. Aronia melanocarpa is a bush-type berry that is amazingly healthful. Commonly called 'black chokeberry', it "has attracted scientific interest due to its deep purple, almost black pigmentation that arises from dense contents of polyphenols, especially anthocyanins. Total anthocyanin content in chokeberries is 1480 mg per 100 g of fresh berries, and proanthocyanidin concentration is 664 mg per 100 g. Both values are among the highest measured in plants to date." (Quoted from Wikipedia).

Aroniaberries contain 4 times more antioxidants than acai and 3 times more than blueberries. (Source: University of Maine Extension: Research Market Potential of Antioxidant-Rich Aroniaberry.)

I purchased my original six (6) bushes from a High School botany class and discovered that I LOVE ARONIABERRIES.

Here is a PDF flyer that the Botany Teacher supplied to me.

My blackberries come from native stock purchased from the MO Department of Conservation.

My pre-packaged blackberries are individually frozen and then put into quart sized bags and weigh 1 pound (by weight) per bag... which may help to figure out how many berries you get in a pound. The price is $10.00 per pound for the packaged/frozen berries.

The plants have nasty thorns and great, big, sweet, juicy berries. There is a 50% discount for picking your own berries mainly due to the hazard of being grabbed by thorns.

Contact me ASAP and tell me you are interested in blackberries so I can email, call, or text you when they are about ready to be harvested. Then you simply contact me to set up your appointment to come out and either pick your own OR tell me how much you want to pick up already harvested.

Comfrey spreads and GROWS!

The bed at left started with six (6) single root plants and looked like this by the end of that first summer.

Pollinators such as bumble bees LOVE IT.

Comfrey (also comphrey) is a common name for plants in the genus Symphytum. Comfrey species are important herbs in organic gardening. It is used as a fertilizer and as an herbal medicine. (from Wikipedia) It blooms from early April through to the first freeze. I have found it beneficial to cut back the entire plant once it starts blooming 'up'. The regrowth is FAST and you soon have fresh flowers for the pollinators. The cut plants are amazing for providing nutrients so I spread them around plants that need a 'boost.' (Just be sure to get all the seeds out first or you'll have comfrey where you spread them forever.)

Contact me ASAP and tell me you are interested in comfrey so I can email, call, or text you when they are about ready to be harvested. Then you simply contact me to set up your appointment to come out and select your own OR how much you want to pick up already harvested.

My plants are from organic stock and are NOT hybrids and are NOT the native variety. Every part of the plant can be used in some way. I introduced the plant so that the seeds could be spread throughout my pastures making the plant available to my animals upon their discretion. The birds clean out the remaining seeds first thing in the winter. All my plants bloom purple/blue (but you can also find a white blooming variety as shown in the photos).

I do not know the variety of these plants, I purchased them from the MO Department of Conservation.

Imagine my amazement when I went on-line to research pricing for fresh elderberries and found they go for $16.00/lb and UP! I also found dried elderberries for sale starting at $20.00/lb. (Dried costs more due the energy/space of dehydrating the berries.)

Do you know why they are so expensive? Labor. Yep, it's not the berries as much as it is removing the berries from the stems. And if you wait until the berries are ripe enough to fall off the stems, more than likely the birds will beat you to them. So you REALLY have to pay close attention to the plants and gamble with waiting that extra day (or hour) to make your work easier.

I sell my berries ON THE STEMS for $0.375/oz (equals $6.00 per pound). You get a BIG price break for doing the work. The berries are ripe before they fall off the stem, but they get sweeter the longer you leave the ripe berry on the stem.

I've been told the easiest way to get the berries separated from the stems is to put the stems with berries in a bucket and put them in the freezer until the berries freeze. They are supposed to shake off the stems easily at that point. I have not tried it.

Contact me ASAP and tell me you are interested in elderberries so I can email, call, or text you when they are about ready to be harvested. Then you simply contact me to set up your appointment to come out and harvest your own which is as simple as cutting the stem that holds the mass of berries which is why there is no Harvest Help discount.

Previously established on the farm are Osage Orange trees (some people call them "Hedge Apple trees").

While it is widely believed that these fruits help to deter pests when placed around the home, this has not been proven.

They are primarily a decorative item and are NOT EDIBLE*.

*Although I'm starting to see articles about ingesting small amounts. I'm not recommending it, I'm just sharing what I have found.

You'll see "paw paw" spelled many ways, but the tree's botanical name is Asimina triloba.

It is an understory tree with fruit that grows in clusters. Paw Paw fruit is the largest edible fruit native to North America. Individual fruits range from 5 to 16 ounces and 3 to 6 inches long.

They have a consistency and flavor (when ripe) similar to banana custard... although some people liken them to mango or pineapple.

You can eat it raw or cook/bake with it. (NOT the skin.)

Paw Paws (referring to the fruit only from here on) do not ripen once removed from the tree. You may be tempted to beat that raccoon (or other fruit eater) to a choice paw paw, but you will regret it if that fruit is not fully ripened. This is probably the biggest reason you don't find fresh paw paws at the grocery store. Another reason is that the conditions to grow the tree are best found in wild spaces and that requires hiking into the woods and braving ticks, poison ivy, etc. to first FIND the trees and then going back multiple times to check on ripeness before hauling out the precious prize of rather heavy bags of fruit.

Luckily for you, I have encouraged just such a "wild" environment here at PlayHaven Farm LLC! And that has helped to establish several mature trees that are bearing fruit and a whole bunch more seedlings that appear to be happy in their orchard as well. So while there are still bugs and plants to be wary of, the "hike" is just a short walk from my house.

I cannot stress enought how IMPERATIVE IT IS to wait until the paw paws are RIPE before harvesting! And by that I mean not hard at all when squeezed. Unripe paw paw is bitter and tough. The condition of the skin can HELP determine ripeness (skin turning ugly like the photo to the right above), but it can fool you! If you have to pull a fruit off the tree, it is NOT ripe. If you gently grasp a fruit to do the squeeze test... it is squishable AND it falls into your hand, it is probably ripe. Just because one fruit has ripened and fallen off the tree DOES NOT mean that all the fruit on that tree are ripe.

Contact me ASAP and tell me you are interested in paw paws so I can email, call, or text you when they are about ready to be harvested. Then you simply contact me to set up your appointment to come out and tell me how much you want to pick up already harvested fresh, intact.

HOW TO PROCESS A PAW PAW FRUIT: Once you have harvested a fully ripened paw paw fruit, I find the easiest way to prepare it is to use a knife to cut through the skin all the way around it (the long way) and then grasp each side and twist it (like you would an avocado). Note the photo of the cut paw paw above on the right. Also note the very large seeds and how many there are. It is a messy job separating the pulp from the seeds. I set the seeds aside and give myself the treat (after I'm done working with the pulp) of using my mouth to clean any remaining pulp from the seeds*.

I experimented the Fall of 2018 with freezing the pulp (separated from the skin and seeds) in a bpa-free freezer bag and found that it freezes very nicely and even after several months, the thawed pulp did not change texture or flavor. It was still YUMMY! The only warning is that you must use/eat the pulp as soon as it thaws because it does not last very long.

*Paw Paw trees rarely grow from seeds, which is probably why there are SO many in each fruit. The seeds require a moist environment and must get a winter experience. If you are determined to try to plant your seeds, DON'T let them dry out! In the spring, scarify and soak the seeds in water before planting to aid their germination and keep the soil moist afterward! The plant grows DOWN before it grows up... so you won't see it for a long time. And good luck with it!

Learn more about this "obscure" fruit which has made a comeback by doing a Google search. Here are just a couple of links you might find interesting:

• September 15, 2017 Article on NPR: https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/09/15/550985844/this-once-obscure-fruit-is-on-its-way-to-becoming-pawpaw-pawpular
• October 2022 issue (Volume 83, Issue 10) of the Missouri Conservationist had a big spread about paw paws: https://mdc.mo.gov/magazines/missouri-conservationist/2022-10/pawpaws-missouris-state-fruit

Another MO native, the fruits are small and vary in color and flavor from tree to tree.

They are best harvested after a heavy frost or freeze.

Contact me ASAP and tell me you are interested in persimmons so I can email, call, or text you when they are about ready to be harvested. Then you simply contact me to set up your appointment to come out and pick your own. We have a ladder you can use.

My rhubarb plants are from organic stock.

Rhubarb has often been called the “pie plant." It's true that the unique, tart flavor of rhubarb has made it a favorite in pies and desserts, but it's also a fantastic ingredient in tangy sauces, chutneys & compotes that make a great accompaniment to savory dishes, including meats, fish & fowl.

Enjoy the tart, excitingly tangy flavor of fresh rhubarb while it's in season!

Originally cultivated in Asia over 2,000 years ago for its medicinal qualities, it was not until the 18th century that rhubarb was grown for culinary purposes in Britain and America. Because of its use in pies & desserts, rhubarb is generally considered by many to be a fruit, but it's actually a vegetable!

Rhubarb is good for you, too. High in Vitamins A and C, calcium and fiber, one cup of rhubarb contains only about 26 calories. Only the petioles (stalks) are edible. The leaves of rhubarb contain high amounts of oxalic acid and are unsafe to eat in any quantity.

I have discovered the reason that rhubarb is pricey to purchase from someone else. Yes, this is a perennial plant and since you don't have to plant it every year and you just have to cut off the stems, the price (you would think) should be pretty low. Yeah, right (she says sarcastically). Of course, when it's your own plant, you don't have to weigh cost/pricing scenarios. So most of what I'm going to tell you about isn't even associated with the cost of the resulting harvest.

First, it's not easy to get rhubarb to establish itself. You have to have the right soil conditions which (depending on your soil) can take a few years and/or lots of testing and amending to prepare. $$. Then once your plants do take hold, you have to wait at least a year until the plant produces leaves/stems that are long enough to harvest without endangering the health of the plant. AND, there are pests (like the Japanese Beetles) that will either eat your harvest or shorten your harvest window. So you have to do pest management or figure on a smaller harvest. $$$.

Then, once you have mature plants you can harvest the stems. "Just break them off near the ground" they tell you. HA! The thing about rhubarb is it is FIBEROUS. You might be tempted to use a knife or shears to cut the stalk, but that is a good way to introduce disease to the plant. Instead, grasp the stalk as close to the ground as possible and give it a little twist as you gently pull on it. The stalk will come away easily and the plant will be triggered into growing another leaf to replace it. If the stalk is too mature, it will be tough; if it is too young, it will be limp. The leaves of the plant are poisonous and must be removed and disposed of safely (a compost heap works nicely) which does require the use of your good quality, sharp knife or shears. $$. (NOTE: when you harvest for yourself, you probably don't care about a clean break... but you do if you are buying it from someone else, don't you?!)

Now you have 8 to 12 inch long stalks/stems. Should you cook them that way? NO. They are FIBEROUS. You end up with gooey, hair-like stuff that is really difficult to eat (or at least I imagine it would be hard to eat, I did not try to). Every recipe for rhubarb has you cut the stalk/stem into small pieces so you can boil it down to a chunky sauce. Remember what I said about them being FIBEROUS? Processing them into small pieces is very similar to celery... but WORSE. They are tough to cut and you get these hair like strands that just won't be cut through nicely. Now if you are doing this at home, you probably don't care; but if you are buying the cut pieces from someone else, you are likely to be expecting clean breaks (again). Processing takes time and effort and quality equipment; not to mention packaging. $$$.

OK, so what this tells me is that rhubarb is least expensive to grow yourself. Next least costly is to buy the long stalks and process it yourself.

And finally, if you don't want to or can't do either of those things... just buck up and quit complaining. (She says sweetly.) The farmer has to make a profit so they can buy food, pay their bills, etc. JUST LIKE YOU.

Contact me ASAP and tell me you are interested in rhubarb so I can email, call, or text you when they are about ready to be harvested. Then you simply contact me to set up your appointment to come out and either pick your own OR tell me how much you want to pick up already harvested (fresh stalks or prepackaged frozen).

The berries are smallish compared to what you get in the grocery store, but they are very flavorful.

My pre-packaged strawberries are individually frozen and then put into quart sized bags.

Contact me ASAP and tell me you are interested in strawberries so I can email, call, or text you when they are about ready to be harvested. Then you simply contact me to set up your appointment to come out and either pick your own OR tell me how much you want to pick up already harvested (fresh or frozen).