Thank you for your wonderful emails and phone calls. You are as anxious to start picking raspberries as we are. As of today, our plan is to open Monday, July 18, 2011. Feel free to call 360-678-3641 as our home recorder will be updated. At the end of the picking season last year, we had jam made with our raspberries. It was a smashing success. We sold it through the Bayleaf in Coupeville and Oak Harbor, Local Grown at the end of the pier in Coupeville as well as the Coupeville Farmer’s Market. We kept four cases to sell at the beginning of this season. After the Farmer’s Market last Saturday, we are down to three cases! As soon as we can get more product made we will. We know our jam was a favorite hostess gift and many people received jars in their stockings last December. Tuesday we picked strawberries at Bell’s Farm. In addition to our jam, we are making raspberry-strawberry jam - that's all local fruit folks! Just think, a wonderful, tasty product all from the Ebey’s Landing National Historical Reserve on Whidbey Island. We will also be making raspberry syrup for those of you who requested it for your martinis. Of course we had kids request syrup for their ice-cream and pancakes but for some reason “martini” stayed with us. Once we start picking, we will get product made ASAP. By the end of last year we were sold out of raspberry-honey-mustard dip (formally known as pretzel dip). I am happy to say…we have more! We just received a new shipment. Customers have told us how they love it over goat or cream cheese; brushed over pork, salmon, or shrimp and barbequed. Of course a pretzel or chip is perfect for the sweet-salty contrast. YUM-E no matter how you choose to eat it. For those of you who requested seedless products we have seedless black raspberry preserves, seedless red raspberry spread that is sweetened with fruit juice concentrate, and seedless red raspberry preserves. The Wild Berry Honey which many of you loved is back as well. This season we will offer 3-pounds of fresh raspberries with pulp containers for $12, half-pints for $2 and three and a-half pound bags of frozen raspberries for $12. The season is quick. If you want to ensure an order, call or email us – soon. Once again, we will supply picking bins for U-Pick. If you do not have container(s) to take your berries home, this year boxes/containers are $.35 each. U-Pick is $2 a pound. Have you tried Lavender Wind’s Raspberry Lavender jam? Oh my goodness it is good. You are in luck since we will have it on our shelf. In case you get the urge for ice-cream we have Whidbey Island Ice-Cream bars in an assortment of flavors as well. Do you notice our local theme? You support us, we support our local businesses. Check out our web-site as we have added a tab – Accommodations. We have a one-bedroom apartment atop the barn that is available for short (2-night minimum) and long term rentals. Cascade Custom Homes (yet another local business) built our barn and they did a stellar job. We continue to have dial-up computer access – yes, it still exists. We do not text or twitter. Our home answering machine is updated with regularity. The landing page of www.MilePost19Farm.com will also be updated with information in case our opening date changes given the rain. Once we open, we will be open daily from 10 AM – 5 PM during the picking season. Pull out your raspberry recipes, dust off your sunscreen bottles and rest-up. Raspberry season is just around the corner. See you at the farm or the Coupeville Farmer’s Market. We appreciate you supporting your local farmer. Jerry & Kimberly Jaderholm