Hope you all had a fantastic Fourth of July and got to enjoy a little of the fireworks that were going off all over. Or perhaps your 4th was like mine, and you were sitting with scared pets/animals. Regardless, I hope everyone had a nice time.

So, the biggest news this week is – PENNSYLVANIA PEACHES. Yes, the now annual favorites are once again available, and while they are still in the firmer stage, they are juicy and have a good flavor. Additionally, Local Sweet Corn, which given it’s the first picking and is on the smaller side, is now available. I was able to find some very nice Washington state Sweet Cherries. Other highlights – Local Blueberries and Local Raspberries are available this week. As I mentioned to quite a few people, Local Strawberries appear to be all but done, so I went ahead and got the Canadian Strawberries that I usually carry a little later in the summer.

My own crops are coming along, and I may even have a couple of handfuls of String Beans this week. While I was hopeful that Cucumber and Zucchini would be ready, it appears they will be another week before I can start picking. Additionally, Snap Peas have begun flowering, so they should not be too long before I can grab some off the plants. Early Potatoes will still be another couple of weeks, so long as I can keep the Colorado Potato Beetles in check.

The Broiler Chickens are getting bigger quick, but they will still be at least another week, and possibly two. The Laying Hens are doing a great job, and are also more or less behaving themselves. The hens are both rather demanding of treats and eating so much feed that I’ve had to limit how much I put in the feeders, as they were eating almost twice as much as usual. I guess they just love the new organic feed I got for them.

In other news, I had another rather interesting run-in with a bear while doing work back at the house. The odd part is that not only did it take quite a bit of encouragement to make the bear go away, but after running a short distance it turned and started coming back toward me. This is the second such type of bear encounter this year, with them continuing toward me, and according to neighbors is not unique to me, as they also needed to provide extra encouragement to stop the bear from advancing. So for those of you who encounter bear on or around your property, please pay a little more attention to their behavior than you otherwise might.

I think that’s it for this week. Thanks to everyone who was able to come by last week, as your support is greatly appreciated. Hope you all have a great week.