If you would like to be added to our email list please contact us . Typically the newsletter will be short and come out weekly during the harvest season [June to August] to let you what is happening. It also comes out once or twice in off season.

Berry Season Ends
Pussy Willows Begin!

THIS Friday and Saturday at the Scarecrow Fest
- Ann, Lou and helpers will kick off the pussy willow season selling: ready-to-plant pussy willows, pussy willow arrangements, woody floral branches, cotton stems from the South and Willow stems (native to cooler weather but now being grown by The Happy Berry) PLUS The Happy Berry jams and jellies. WHERE? Off HWY 130, about 3 miles north of Seneca (between the Duke Energy Nuclear Project and Seneca). WHEN? The Fest will be under tent from 5pm-10 pm Friday October 29 and & Saturday October 30 from Noon to 10 PM. WHAT? The festival is the kickoff for the newly planned YMCA which will be built along the Keowee River at the festival location. There will be a scarecrow contest, a Trick or Treat Trail, Pumpkin Patch and lots of other fun things to do- here are two links for more details/contact information: Zvents and Independent Mail

This is just the beginning a very exciting Pussy Willow season! Coming soon, we will have a link off of The Happy Berry home page, detailing more about our Pussy Willow offerings!

AVAILABLE FOR PROGRAMS! If you wish to discuss the possibility of a special presentation on our willow selections ("The Pussy Willow Mystique" plus tips on making dry florals to decorate your home, office or special event), please let us know! The programs are offered during the cold months of January through March. During the winter we can also provide natural decor for celebrations and weddings. No "Chinese knock-offs"- just the real naturals born and raised in the USA!

BERRY SEASON IS DONE-
We have had a great season, we think the best ever, and want to express our sincere appreciation for your support this year! We are almost finished getting the farm "laid bye" for fall and are starting to work on projects to improve things for next season and get the books squared away. "Lay bye" is an old cotton country term referring to when the cotton canopy totally shaded the ground and the hoeing was finished. Weeds are less likely to be a problem once the ground is shaded. For us "lay bye" is when we have the vegetation back under control. Please feel free to drop by to admire the work. It is a beautiful time of year what with the colors changing and our winter garden planted (sorry just enough for family). The farm is open 9 to 5 Mon-Sat, and noon to 5 on Sunday (but since it is the shoulder season, we may not always be there. Be sure to call first if you want to be sure we are going to be around).

Heads Up - Concerns for next season:
Over the past couple of years three insects have been introduced to the United States that pose a threat to our berry harvest. The insects we are worried about are the spotted wing, drosophila (introduced in California from the pacific rim), marmorated stink bug (introduced in Philadelphia PA from the pacific rim), and the Kudzu stink bug (introduced in Atlanta also from the pacific rim). These insects have the potential to contaminate and decimate fruit harvests! (And for a more indepth discussion on how these insects came to be here- ie Corporate takeover of Agriculture- give Walker a call!)

The spotted wing drosophila is reported to be present all around us so we are putting up traps to determine if in fact we are invaded. The terrible thing about the spotted wing is that they invade healthy sound fruit and destroy them. The university is telling us that susceptible fruits will need to be sprayed once a week starting at ripening. There is an organic option but it will be very very expensive!

The marmorated stink bug and the Kudzu stink bug contaminate harvest with smell and by eating the fruit. In addition, the marmorated stink bug is causing havoc with homeowners in the Pennsylvania, Mary land, Delaware and Virginia area and a university specialist as advised us that they are both probably in our area but still at lower populations. In the PA DELMARVA area homeowners are saying it is worse than the lady beetle problem that you are probably familiar with. These bugs stink when alarmed, such as when they are vacuumed up. We are worried about what this might mean for us, and Walker will be researching as one of his (many) winter projects.

THANK YOU AGAIN TO EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT! We would not be here without YOU!
Walker for The Happy Berry Bunch

STILL Muscadines!
NEW HOURS BEGIN OCT 1

STILL MUSCADINES!
The scuppernongs are starting to slow down and will be gone in a couple of weeks. There are still lots of bullaces (black muscadines) but they will end also in three or so weeks. It has been a great season and we really appreciate every one’s support of our farm. Without your support, there would not be a Happy Berry! We appreciate your visits, phone calls, suggestions, and of course, purchases!

HOURS CHANGE ON OCTOBER 1
New hours beginning Oct 1 will be 9am to 5pm Monday through Saturday, to allow deer hunters to get in early mornings and late evenings. Sunday hours are noon to 5pm. The sign up sheet for anyone interested in deer hunting is available next to the scale on the porch (only deer hunting permited as per regulations for our region- which is the mountain unit).

OTHER NEWS
We have been watering all to be sure we have a good crop next year. We are at flower formation time in the blueberries and the blackberry trellis are filling nicely. The blackberries were all pruned by the end of August. We are anticipating a huge water bill. Given the forecast, at this writing, we will be 33 days without a significant amount of rain. Everywhere but where we are watering has shut down. PLEASE DO YOUR BEST RAIN DANCE. Typically this time of year we depend on hurricanes to bring needed rainfall.

SUPPORT LOCAL FOOD AND SEASONAL CUISINE AT THIS YEAR’S ON-FARM DINNER
Join the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association for a special harvest festival celebrating local, sustainable farms! Tantalize your taste buds with mouthwatering seasonal cuisine, produced in the Upstate, prepared and served by the area’s finest chefs. There will be tours of charming Patient Wait Farm, live music, and children’s activities, so bring your friends and family for an unforgettable evening of farm-fresh fun! The on-farm dinner will be held Sunday, October 3rd beginning at 3:00, until 7:00 pm, at Patient Wait Farms in Piedmont, SC. It is just minutes off Interstate-85 (exit 32). To sign up go to www.CarolinaFarmStewards.org- it's the OktoberFresh event. The Happy Berry strongly supports the CFSA and what it supports. Please tell them we sent you!

WINTER FORECAST – PUSSY WILLOWS! We'll offer HOME DÉCOR, PLANTINGS & PROGRAMS
In case you had not realized- The Happy Berry has joined forces with Mountain Willow – offering a winter crop of woody decorative florals and plants which can add that special ZING to your home or office. We have some of the most stylistic and fashionable decorative dry florals available in the Upstate and maybe beyond our state borders.

HOME DÉCOR- For home décor- we will have selected varieties of the American Pussy Willow- Silver, French, Black, Pink and Purple cut willow stems. We will also have Japanese Fantail, red curly willow, scarlet curls, and red and yellow dogwood twig stems.

PLANTS FOR SALE- We will also sell plants that are ready for fall and winter planting. Did you know that Pussy Willows make excellent landscape specimens, windbreaks, erosion control and lake/stream conservation plantings? They also serve as host plants for butterflies and will attract bees if left to flower in the spring.

PROGRAMS & PRESENTATIONS- Ann and Walker along with Lou Christensen (aka Mr. Pussy Willow), will be presenting these winter naturals at regional Garden Clubs, Home and Garden Shows, gift and floral shops, Clemson University OLLI programs and to interested groups or clubs who would enjoy the sharing of "The Pussy Willow Mystique". Would you like us to present a program to your club or neighborhood group? ...Let us know!

It has been a great season- Thanks to YOU! Thank you so much from all of us at The Happy Berry. We would not be here without you!

Muscadines are also the nutraceutical secret of the South. Nutraceuticals are foods that promote good health. They have more resveratrol than the classic wine grapes like Pinot Noir, more ellagic acid than a strawberry, are extremely high in calcium and soluble and insoluble fiber. There are over 480-biomedical research papers focus on the nutraceutical benefits of muscadines.

What to do with a muscadine? The healthiest thing is to make a puree including the seed. Use the puree to make pie, cobbler, breads and cakes, fruit roll ups of even in spaghetti sauce. You can leave the seeds out; although the seeds are high in nutraceuticals they do add a little bitter flavor to the mix. The seeds have the most nutraceuticals, the skin second and the flesh third. If you are eating them fresh you should eat the skin. Modern varieties are tenderer than older varieties.

My favorite is hull pie; see our web site for the recipe. They also make a fantastic Juice! Check www.Lehmans.com for a steam juicer. The juice can be frozen for later use or used to make a sorbet or frozen pops. They can also be used to make Hors D’oeuvres by cutting the berries in half then removing the seed locule with a grapefruit spoon and stuffing them with feta cheese, crab meat or even peanut butter!

Please come to the farm and try them! Grazing is allowed and encouraged. Of course there is the sin bucket if you feel you have gotten carried away.

THE HAPPY BERRY UPDATE – Other Items of Business…

Tractor is fixed! and the Muscadine area is mowed! We are slowly catching up on the rest.

Muscadines
Please see how to pick muscadines on our web site. The muscadines will continue through September. We may be in the field when you arrive, so ring bell or use the Honor System if we are not available. Listen for the tractor for a clue where we are in the field.

Buy our muscadines at The Market at Keowee Town! And on Saturday 9/4, they are having a wine tasting. For more information please call 944-8000. and please tell them The Happy Berry sent you.

Figs are down to a trickle. Usually one picker gets them all. If no one picks them we will... after 11AM and have them in the cooler

Neptune grapes about gone. There is a lot of disease in them (Colletotrichum gleosporoides) and I apologize I did not do a better job. I am wrestling as to what to do. Top work them to a more disease resistant variety ??? Try to use better fungicides??? I am studying on the issue.

Venus, Jupiter and Mars seedless grapes are gone.

Blueberries are gone ...

Blackberries are gone and we nearing the end of pruning them.

Next will be Pussy Willows in early January.

We have had what we think is our best season ever. Thank you all for your support and interest in our berry farm!!!
Walker for The Happy Berry Bunch

Neptune Grapes & Muscadines Begin

We will start picking the NEPTUNE GRAPES Wednesday 8/18.

There are still MARS SEEDLESS GRAPES but you have to walk all the way to the back of the field (where you turn to come in our driveway). These grapes are delicious! The Venus and Jupiter are gone.

Picking time per gallon of BLUEBERRIES continues to increase. There are still some- mainly in the Tif and Powderblue, but they are in pockets, and you have to scout for them. Recent rains(1 inch 8/12, 0.25 inch 8/14, and 1/2 inch 8/15) after 25 days of drought, helped, but came a little too late.

FIGS have slowed up. There are still figs... just not as much volume as earlier. So the early birds are getting the figs.

The MUSCADINES came along quickly in the bronze types... especially "Early Fry" – and those picking conditions are already very good. The black and red muscadines are still not ready.

HOW TO PICK A MUSCADINE GRAPE -
Grapes are not climacteric- which means they will not ripen after they are picked. If you pick them green or sour they will remain green and sour. You pick Muscadines one berry at a time. You do not pick clusters. The best way to pick a muscadine, bronze or black, is by softness. You need to look at the grape and judge by the color if it needs to be felt. Then feel the grape ... if it is hard do not pick it. If you think it is a little soft the next step is to do a test eating. Is it sweet??? is the skin tender??? Repeat this process until you learn by feel what is a ripe muscadine grape. If you look at the end of the rows you can see the names of the varieties in each row. The pollinators insects of muscadines, tiny green bees, move up and down rows and do not move across rows so that is the reason for two varieties in each row. The bottom line is- if you are using color to decide whether or not to feel a berry you have to associate the color with the variety. This is not as difficult as it sounds... after a little bit you will recognize that this vine is a little more bronze or this is has a little pink or this is a little more yellow so you know when to feel the grape. In no time at all you will become an experienced muscadine picker and with such big berries the bucket is fill very quickly.

From the north? Have fond memories of cherry pie? Well "when in Rome do as the Romans" ... the southern equivalent of cherry pie is hull (muscadine) pie. Check the recipe at our web site.

We made some great Muscadine Juice last year from both the bronze and the black muscadines. At Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas dinner our extended family went wild over it. We used a steam juicer we got from Lehman's Supply, www.lehmans.com . They have 2 models $70 and $190. We got the $70 version and made about 15 gallons that we drank fresh and froze a bunch for the winter.

The JACQUES GRAPES are ready! These seeded grapes are only $1.25 per pound. They are great for juice, jams and jellies, pie and wine. This is a dark blue-black grape that has a good strong flavor.

PEACHES: Wed 8/18 and Thursday 8/19 will be the last delivery of peaches. Sweet Sue is the variety, and just like it sounds, it is a very sweet peach. Like other red skin peaches, it is not only a tasty treat, it is great for freezing and for cooking.

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR ENTHUSIASM AND SUPPORT!