June is National Perennial Month!

June is the perfect time to fill your gardens and landscapes with beautiful blooming perennials! Perennials differentiate themselves from annuals and biannuals in that they usually live for three years or more, and their foliage dies back to the ground each fall. Perennials continue to grow and bloom throughout the spring and summer months. In early spring, perennials will emerge once again for another round of beautiful blooms and or foliage. When choosing which beautiful perennials to plant in your garden, Eckert's is the perfect place to start. Our website is a great place to find perennials for shady or sunny locations! Our knowledgeable staff can also help you to find an array of plants to fill your garden this spring.

June is National Perennial Month for a reason! Each year perennials spring back to life and wow us with their beautiful colorful blooms and foliage. Perennials bloom at different specified times so it can be rewarding to plan ahead and arrange for there to be a cycle of color and bloom in your garden. A seasoned gardener knows that mixing in a few bread and butter perennials throughout their garden is key to a beautiful, bright display through spring and summer months. Angie Eckert has chosen some of her favorite bread and butter perennials to share with you!

In honor of National Perennial Month, Eckert's has a special coupon to help you and your family celebrate the occasion. Print this coupon out and bring it to Eckert's to recieve your free perennial!

Sweet & Savory Strawberry Recipes

We have a great crop of Strawberries this season and are looking forward to sharing them with you. If you are looking for some great recipes to use your fresh sun drenched strawberries in, look no further! Here are some of Eckert's favorites:

Fresh Strawberry Jam
Ingredients:
1 1/2 quarts fresh strawberries
6 cups sugar
Directions:
Wash, drain and hull strawberries, crush in kettle. Stir in sugar. Cook slowly stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and cook rapidly until thickens, stirring frequently about 35 minutes. Do not overcook; jam thickens as it cools, so cook only until jelly jars; fill to 1/8 inch top. Screw on caps evenly and tightly, invert for a few seconds, and the stand up right to cool. Makes about 4 8oz. jars.

Sweet Strawberry Bruschetta
Ingredients:
4 slices Eckert's Fresh Bread, cut into 1/2-3/4 inch slices
6 tbsp light brown sugar
1tsp grated lemon zest
2 tsp lemon juice
4 cups diced hulled Eckert's Strawberries
4 tbsp cream cheese, fresh goat cheese or marscarpone, softened
4 tbsp Eckert's honey
Directions:
Toast both sides of bread. Set aside. Heat 10-in skillet over high heat. Add brown sugar, lemon zest and juice. Cook stirring continuously until sugar melts and mixture begins to bubble, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add strawberries and stir until strawberry juice begins to release, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Spread 1tbsp soften cheese on each piece of toasted French bread. Top with warm berries. Drizzle with honey.

For more delicious recipes please visit our website at http://www.eckerts.com/!

The Wait is Finally Over...

Strawberry Season is here!
Pick-Your-Own Strawberries will be open from 9 am - 6 pm and the cost is $2.49/lb. We always recommend calling the harvest hotline (618.233.0513 x 6) before coming out for the most current crop information. Homegrown Strawberries from the store cost $4.99/quart.

Strawberry Festival - May 14, 14, 21, & 22
This is the weekend to share with family and friends. And what better place to share it than the family farm! Enjoy outdoor festival foods and country music at this old-fashioned all-American festival. Free wagon rides. Live music from 12pm - 5pm each day. Kid's activities include pony rides, children's play area, petting farm, carnival rides, and inflatable. Strawberry treats in the bakery, custard shop and restaurant! Fee charged for some activities.

Ruth Eckert's Glazed Strawberry Pie Recipe

Ingredients:
2 full pints of hulled strawberries
1 cup sugar
4 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. lemon juice or lemon extract
1 (9-inch) pie shell
Whipped Cream
Directions: Using a potato masher, crush one pint of berries in a saucepan. In a bowl, combine sugar and cornstarch; add to berries. Cook, stirring until thickened and clear. Add lemon juice. Cool. Cut remaining pint of berries in halves and add to mixture. Pour into pie shell. Top with whipped cream and serve

Custard Shop is Now Open!

Eckert's Custard Shop is now open! With the seating outside of the new Country Store, and recently renovated Country Restaurant, Eckert's custard is much more enjoyable! Eckert's patio is the perfect place to indulge in your favorite dessert as you and your family watch the sun go down over our orchards. Our custard alone is delicious, but when you see the variety of toppings it sometimes gets difficult to choose, I recommend trying them all at least once!
Our Custard Shop has always had yummy concretes and sundaes that are topped with our homebaked pies, chocolate, pecans, fresh fruit, etc. We have always served up creamy custard cones, banana splits, fudge brownie delight, shakes, malts and floats, but...

our Custard Shop has added something new and exciting this year - Fruit Smoothies! There are currently six flavors to choose from, and they include strawberry, mango, pina colada, peach, wildberry, and mocha. You can pick one, or mix and match! We are so excited about the new smoothies that we are offering an unbelievable offer. By clicking the link below you can receive a 16 oz fruit smoothie for only $1.00!

Recieve a 16 oz fruit smoothie for only $1.00!

My personal favorite so far is the Strawberry. Taste them all and let us know which is your favorite - join us on Facebook, we would love to hear from you!

Stop by to enjoy creamy, homemade custard 11 am to 9 pm daily. And remember, "You can have any flavor, as long as it's vanilla." -Alvin O. Eckert