It's Time To Plant

Looks like we are finally getting a warm weekend without rain. Perfect for focusing our attention on the yard a garden. 2008 has been the wettest year since the 1920's. Here at Eckert's, we have received 22.5 inches. Planting has been delayed for many of us, but it is not too late.

This is the perfect time to put out your warm season vegetables like tomatoes and peppers. Annuals and perennials are also great this time of the year. We have a huge selection of all these plants plus "Knock-out Roses", trees and shrubs in Eckert's Garden Center.

If you need some advice on which plants to choose for your landscape, we have a great team on hand every day ready to answer all your questions. Bring in pictures of your lawn and home and get landscaping advice from Angie Eckert. Let us help you make your home beautiful.

Spring Time

Spring symbolizes the start of a new year and nothing says Spring more than the first homegrown produce of the season, white asparagus. We have a great selection of fresh homegrown asparagus, both white and green, available in our Country Store.

White asparagus is a German treat. The trick is to harvest the spears of asparagus before they break through the soil. To make sure the spears are as long as possible, soil is mounded up along the row several times through the spring. Every day, the rows are inspected to find little bumps where the spears are about to poke through. Then you go fishing for the spear with a knife under the soil. It is cut underground and pulled up by the tip. It is a real trick to harvest the perfect spear, but we have plenty of it available already cut and cleaned in the produce department.

You can also find some great recipes and complementary products in the store. Please stop by and let us help you "Spring" into 2008.

Cheers,

Chris Eckert

It's Bushels of Fun

It's apple season on the farm and that means that Eckert's apples are ripe and ready for eating. Stop by Eckert's in Belleville, Millstadt, or Grafton, Illinois for the best apple products around, including fresh apple cider, and home baked Dutch Apple pie or Apple Harvest cake.

For the most up to date picking information, please visit the harvest hotline at www.eckerts.com/hotline.htm

Barnyard Olympics at Eckert's in Belleville

Join us this weekend, August 4th and 5th from 10 am to 3 pm for Eckert's first ever Barnyard Olympics. Activities include Greased Pig Contests, Chicken Plop Bingo, Pig Races, Kids Tractor Pulls, and a Goat Scramble. Fifteen tickets can be purchased for $5. Each event requires one ticket. Festival foods, face painting, live entertainment, petting farm, and pony rides will also be available. We look forward to seeing you!

Eckert's Homegrown Peaches, Blackberries, & Tomatoes

Hurry in to find the season's freshest produce. We currently have an excellent supply of Eckert's homegrown peaches, blackberries and tomatoes at the Belleville Country Store. Pick-Your-Own Blackberries will be open on Saturday July 7th from 8 am to Noon. The cost is $2.49/lb.

As always, we recommend calling Eckert's Harvest Hotline at 618/233-0513 x. 1 the day you are planning to visit Eckert's, so you have the most current crop information.

Homegrown Tomatoes & Eckert's CHOICE Peaches

A bountiful supply of Eckert's homegrown tomatoes and CHOICE peaches are now available in the Belleville Country Store.

While the midwest's peach crops were hit hard by the freeze in early April, Eckert's is fortunate to be able to offer a full supply of delicious peaches throughout the entire season. Eckert's CHOICE peaches are grown by independent farmers, that harvests Eckert's preferred varieties, in accordance to our own growing techniques. The Eckert family stands behind the CHOICE label, ensuring this fruit to be of the freshest and the highest quality.

Simple Summer Dishes

Summer gatherings should be casual and relaxing, appealling to friends and family of all ages. Select simple summer dishes that may be prepared ahead, keeping kitchen time to a minimum. To maximize flavor, take advantage of seasonal fruits and veggies. Fresh ingredients lend themselves to time-saving preparation and healthier choices. No one understands this more than Jill Eckert-Tantillo, with four kids and a crazy schedule, she has mastered deliciously simple dishes. Join her Thursday June 28th from 6 pm to 8 pm to learn all her secrets.

$25/person

Reservations are required, and spaces are limited.

Call 618/233-0513 to make reservations