We’re excited about our 2013 Summer Camp on the farm!

Summer Camp on the farm
June 4 – 7 and June 11 – 14, 2013

Summer daycare and camp groups are invited to join us for Summer Camp at Southern Belle Farm.  We will host groups with a minimum of 15 people to have a little summertime fun on the farm!  Summer Camp groups will enjoy farm activities:

• Picking blackberries
• Taking a hayride tour of the farm
• Visiting with farm animals
• Watching a dairy milking demonstration

… and other farm fun!

Advance reservations are required.  The cost is $8/person (children & adults).  To submit an online reservation request, click here and complete the group form.

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Take advantage of our Strawberry Season Peak — load up on farm fresh strawberries at a special sale price!
Hurry!  Offer good May 7 – 9, 2013 only!

Strawberries will make wonderful Teacher Appreciation and Mother’s Day gifts etc.  You can also freeze them and enjoy them all year long.  Present this coupon May 7 – 9, 2013 only and you can Buy 2 Get 1 Free strawberry gallons, while supplies last.  Call to reserve pre-picked strawberries, 770.288.2582.

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We’re excited that our strawberry peak has arrived!  The peak is the height of the production, meaning there’s lots of ripe strawberries ready to be picked!  Don’t miss this opportunity for easy picking, or to get pre-picked strawberries that would be wonderful for making jams, jellies or putting in the freezer to enjoy all year long.  Click here to find some strawberry recipes.

Now is the time!  The peak will only last approx. 7-10 days, so we encourage you to come now while the picking is good!  Call ahead if you’d like to order pre-picked berries, 770.288.2582.

Farmer Carter explains more in this crop update video.

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Watch the video from Fox 5 Good Day Atlanta’s visit here to Southern Belle Farm!

Click the images below to watch the videos.

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I found strawberries!

Little Miss Kennedy has found herself some ripe, juicy strawberries in the patch, if you can’t tell by the juice running down her chin!  Guess that means another exciting season of fresh strawberries is here!

Southern Belle Farm will open for
U-Pick Strawberries on
Monday, April 15, 2013!

April 15th may be a dreaded tax day to some — but this year, our strawberries will make the day so much ‘sweeter’!  Come out to the farm, located just 30 minutes south of Atlanta, in McDonough, GA, and hand-pick some of our fresh strawberries, and don’t leave without a ‘berry special’ farm treat from MiMi’s Kitchen!

For U-Pick picking hours, prices and details, click here.  Call ahead to 770.288.2582, to order pre-picked berries, if you do not plan to pick them yourself.  We look forward to seeing you on the farm this spring!

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Georgia enjoyed unseasonably warm temperatures early this year — but now March is turning off to be a colder month than January.  That is a struggle for farmers growing tender spring crops, such as strawberries.

That is why we have been diligently monitoring and protecting our strawberry blossoms with a method called Freeze Protection.  This is where we run our overhead irrigation when the temps drop, so that ice forms on the plants and very important blossoms, which are the first signs of a strawberry.  The purpose is to keep the blossom at a constant temperature of 32 degrees so that no damage can be done.

We took this video early one morning at sunrise as we were freeze protecting our strawberry patch.  We hope to have strawberries in a couple of weeks — follow us on Facebook for continued updates!

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Cooking and baking with fresh strawberries can make all the difference in a dish — a fresh berry are a treat!  Try these fresh recipes.

If you have a delish-strawberry recipe you’d like to share, post it on Facebook or email it to us so we can share with all our farm friends!

STRAWBERRY PRESERVES

Source: Martha Stewart Living, June 2005 via online recipes.
This recipe makes 2 1/2 cups.  These preserves can be canned and stored up to one year.  Multiply the recipe if you’d like.

STRAWBERRY CREAM CHEESE COBBLER

1 stick ( 1/2 cup) butter
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 quarts whole strawberries, capped and washed
4 ounces cream cheese, cut in small pieces

Strawberry Cream Cheese Cobbler

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt butter and pour into a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish. In a small bowl, mix together the egg, milk, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pour directly over the butter in the baking dish, but do not stir.

Add the strawberries, arranging in a single layer as much as possible. Sprinkle cream cheese pieces over strawberries. Place in preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until top is golden brown and edges are bubbling. (Crust rises up and around the fruit, but fruit will still peek out of top.)

Source: This recipe and more can be found on Kitchenscoop.com.

A special thank you to our friends at Georgia Farm Bureau for sharing this recipe for ‘Strawberry Heaven’ with us!  Can you say ‘strawberry heaven’?  Well — this recipe comes real close to it!

STRAWBERRY HEAVEN

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1/4 cup lemon juice

8 oz. frozen non-dairy whipped topping, thawed

1 large angel food cake (or 2 small rectangular angel food cakes)

4 cups fresh strawberries (sliced, mashed and sweetened)

Fresh strawberries for garnish

Mix milk and lemon juice, then fold in whipped topping. Tear cake into pieces, or slice smaller cakes into approximately 1-inch slices. Layer 1/2 of the cake pieces in 9×13 baking dish. Pour 2 cups of strawberries over cake. Spread 1/2 of topping mixture over strawberries. Repeat with other half of ingredients.

Garnish with fresh strawberries, if desired.

Cool in refrigerator until ready to serve. Best when made a few hours in advance.

Serves 10-12.

This and hundreds of other mouth-watering recipes from cooks from all across Georgia can be found in the cookbook A Legacy of Georgia Cooking.

WATERMELON STRAWBERRY POPS

Source:  Everyday Food July/August 2009 recipe online

We will continually add recipes as the season goes on, so keep a check back!

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Please spread the word!  If you have questions about these events, email Ansley Glenn!

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We are honored to once again host a
Spring Scout Day here at the farm!
May 4, 2013 at 10:00am

Fun times for Scouts!

Is there anything more delicious than fresh strawberries picked right from the vine? Scouts will get a lesson on strawberries and then start pickin’ right from the patch. Each person will get a container for them to eat or to take home their strawberries. You will also visit the barnyard animals and take a hayride tour of the farm.

The cost is $5/person (adults & children)
Strawberry scout patches are an additional $1.
Pay at check-in when you arrive at the farm.  We accept cash only.

While at the farm, larger containers of fresh strawberries as well as homemade ice cream and other treats may be purchased for an additional cost. It’s an event the whole family can enjoy – fun for all ages!

Register your scout group today.  Use the link below to the online reservation form, fill in the ‘Contact Person’ and ‘Group Event’ sections to register your group.

CLICK HERE to register for Spring Scout Day!

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Farm friends,

So many of you have been asking how the strawberry crop is doing this year, so we have our first crop update of the 2013 growing season for you.  Watch Farmer Jake’s video update below.

Be sure you follow us on Facebook for further updates on the strawberries.  We encourage you to go to our page now, and ‘Like’ or comment on a post.  This will ensure that our updates will appear in your News Feed.

We look forward to seeing you this berry season!

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