Early June is ideal for harvesting food, memories in the Texas Hill Country
Late spring produce is starting to roll in at one of the region’s most popular pick-your-own farms, Marburger Orchard near historic Fredericksburg. Thanks to a quick trip out into the area to see how produce is doing, we’ve got the scoop about what’s fresh at this forty-year-old farm situated down a Gillespie Country country lane.
As you may recall, the 2017 peach crop came up short due to weather conditions. This year it’s a different story, with the Hill Country Fruit Council reporting that “2018 looks to be a great year.”
“It’s going to be a full crop of peaches come June, unless it hails or we get a big storm. Our fruit is just coming on on this side of Fredericksburg. Some of the other farms, on [U.S.] 290 [near Stonewall] are a little further ahead, but we’ve got fruit ripening quickly and will soon catch up with them,” said Marburger Orchard’s Kay Wischkaemper, whom we found helping farm visitors last Friday morning. “If you come out in late May or early June, you can expect to find peaches, blackberries, and onions. Those will all be available for pick-your-own. We’ll still have a few strawberries, but they’ll start to wind down as it heats up.”
In addition to opening up the farm daily for visitors to harvest their own produce, Marburger Orchard has an on-site produce stand that includes a changing assortment of fresh items. Wischkaemper said that, in addition to you-pick items, the farm will soon be selling tomato, okra and cantaloupes.
“We’ll have produce at the Fredericksburg Farmers Market on Thursdays, too,” said Wischkaemper. “I’d encourage anyone who wants to come out to check our website for regular updates on what’s available in the fields and our hours which change with the weather and staffing. Whenever people call in to ask for updates, I steer them to the website. It really is the best place to get information.”
Also available on the website are pricing and payment details. Marburger Orchard now accepts credit cards, but we’d suggest you take along a little cash just in case. (It’s a long way to an ATM from the farm. Trust us.) The best times to visit the orchard are early on weekdays but, again, always check the website to ensure they’ll be open and the fruit you seek will be available.
[Update: Note that you can see a short video of the fields of strawberries on our Instagram page.]
Explore More
For more area farm options, see TexasPeaches.com and PickYourOwn.org/TX.htm.
More of a farmers market person? Check LocalHarvest.org for options.
When you visit Marburger Orchard, note that you’ll pass the Meusebach Creek School, one of several historic country school houses maintained by The Friends of Gillespie County Country Schools. You can learn more about this organization at HistoricSchools.org.
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