Reviews for: Orchard Country Produce and Fruit Farm

This is our first year subscribing to Orchard County Produce's CSA (full share with eggs), but it will not be our last. We have subscribed to other CSAs in the past, but the variety and quality of OCP exceeded our expectations. Each week we get a good balance of fruit and vegetables. Using everything each week has become a fun challenge for us, and we love that we're eating healthier thanks to OCP.

Louise sends out an email each week letting CSA members know what to expect in the box, and Gregg is always a joy to talk to when picking up at the Fairfax Saturday market. They are both such positive people who clearly take pride in what they produce.

Orange Country Produce is really great produce grown by really great people. We are grateful we found them and you will be too.

We did a half-share all through spring-summer-fall in 2010, picking up at the DoT farmers market.

I've missed it ever since. The value was good and kept me on budget through a lean year with our young daughter. The quality of the produce was great. If you've been a farmers market shopper, you understand fresh and local produce is a different experience than big chain super market produce.

The Kecklers pack their CSA boxes with variety all through the season. They send a weekly email listing that week's produce and any extras you can add that week a la carte (meat, dairy, eggs, preserves, honey, herbs, etc). There were quite a few items included that I've eaten at restaurants but had not bought myself. A quick chat when you pick up your box answers any questions you have on "How do you guys like to eat/cook this?" You'll NEVER get a box filled with only one or two items. EVER.

One of the most useful things I learned from the Orchard Country Produce CSA is that I don't need three heads of kale from the farmer's market each week. I realized having a wider variety with smaller quantities (like what I received in the half-share) meant I was more likely to use all the produce each week. Even though we aren't currently with any CSA, I shop every Sunday at our neighborhood farmers market with the Keckler's weekly box in mind. I struggle to come close to the variety they packed for the money I paid:)

We tried a CSA for the first time this year, based on the recommendation of friends who were already repeat customers of Orchard Country Produce. We chose the full 21 weeks, and a half share for the two of us. It was all we could do to eat it up. It has been a truly enjoyable and educational experience. And dealing with Gregg Keckler and family has been wonderful.

We've had the chance to try vegetables and fruit we had heard of but never tasted, such as collard greens and kohlrabi, and enjoyed old favorites like Bartlett and Bosc pears and eggplant. It's really neat to take something out of the cooler and say, "Now, what do you suppose this is exactly?" Both the variety and the quality of the produce has been outstanding. The sweet corn finally ended--well after the last of the corn elsewhere--and it was just as sweet and tender as the first corn of the year. Northern Spy and Ginger Gold apples, wow. Farm-fresh sweet potatoes....mmmmmm. And the apple cider is really the best we've had in years.

The 21 weeks have raced by. Today was the final week, and we look forward to more great eating in 2012. Thanks again, Gregg!

This is my second year subscribing to the Orchard Country produce CSA. First and foremost, the produce (both fruit and vegetables) is fresh and delicious. I find that we eat a much more enjoyable variety of produce now when compared to the produce we typically bought from the grocery. Sour cherries, beets, and tomatillos have been especially fun and scrumptious. In addition to eating the food raw and cooking with items, I really enjoyed putting food up. Some of my favorites include, pickled asparagus, cucumbers, and green beans; strawberry jam; sour cherry jelly; and sweet cherry chutney. This CSA is a great value for the quality, quantity, and diversity of produce.

The 2010 season with the Keckler's was my first experience with CSA, and I was so pleased with everything! The fruits and veggies were always very high quality. Even with a half share, I could rarely finish all of the delicious foods included in it (it was just me, but a couple or a small family would probably have no problem finishing everything off). The boxes always had standards that I loved and also forced me to experiment new foods that I wasn't as familiar with--kale is now one of my favorite foods! They are great about suggesting recipes if you're not familiar with some of the items. One fun thing they do is at the end of each 7-week period, they have a pick-your-share day, where you get to choose your foods off the table up to a certain price. I also liked the jams, honey, meats, and cheeses (and sometimes wildflowers!) they had available off the table.

Aside from the tasty food, the family that runs it is wonderful. Because of my work hours, I started coming to the DOT drop-off early--before the tables were set-up and when Gregg and his son were still just in the van waiting to set up. They always were there waiting for me with a smile and even had my share pulled for me, knowing I was coming early! Bottom line: I 100% recommend working with the Kecklers. You will not be disappointed!

During the past year I have made an effort to buy local produce as much as possible. The Keckler's CSA made this task much easier than I thought it would be. I signed up for a half-share of the full 21-week season. I picked up at the DOT market and it was quick and really well organized. The amount of produce in the half share was plenty for two people and offered a nice balance between both fruits and veggies. The communication was great. Every Monday I received an email listing the week's produce so I could plan my weekly menus accordingly. (I even learned to like a few leafy green vegetables that I otherwise wouldn't have tried). They included a number of fun extras: jellies, honey, cider and horseradish. I also could pre-order extras such as eggs, beef and an occasional chicken. At the end of each of the three 7-week seasons we received a credit at their market stand and could pick the items we wanted for the week.

The quality of the produce was consistently good and exceeded the quality of similar produce in grocery stores. This was my first CSA experience, so as with anything there was a bit of a learning curve. Some produce lasted much longer than the same produce I used to buy in a chain grocery store, while other things spoiled faster than I was used to. It was, however, an easy issue to resolve once I learned what I needed to cook quickly and what I could keep for a week or two.

Overall it was a great experience! Thanks to the Keckler's for running such a great CSA and I look forward to seeing you next year!

Gregg and Louise Keckler (the owners of the farm and proprietors of the CSA) are incredibly accommodating and generous. Fall of 2010 I signed up for the Orchard Country CSA because of the great reviews that I read here and because of the convenient drop off locations in and around DC. The signup process is pretty simple although when I signed up there was some ambiguity regarding the exact nature of the full/half shares. A quick email sent to the Keckler's quickly resolved any questions I had about payment, pickup, and the contents of my CSA share.

The quality of the produce is fantastic. Throughout the year the Kecklers have also offered various cuts of beef and other "specialty items" such as cheeses, bologna, eggs, and several other items I would highly recommend. I have definitely expanded my palette as the diverse nature of the items in the CSA continue to impress me week after week.

I wish we lived in a more temperate climate so I could subscribe to a year-round CSA, however, given the circumstances in DC I can't wait until spring rolls around so I can start up my CSA share again.

You can't go wrong with Orchard Country. Gregg and Louise are caring, honest, and hard-working. Thanks for everything.

This has been my first year consistently shopping at the farmers market as well as joining a CSA. It is fun to get such a huge variety of high quality produce. I appreciate that this farm seeks to grow food in a manner that preserves the environment while also providing unsprayed berries and vegetables. Each share was plenty of produce for a family of 4. Their apple cider is the best I have ever had. They grow an apple called Northern Spy that makes an amazing pie and a tasty snack. I bought 5 boxes of seconds tomatoes as well as a bushel of firsts and they created wonderful salsas and sauces. The heirloom tomatoes added a tasty change to the typical salsas and sauces. I have also bought eggs and grass-fed ground beef which have been top quality.

This was the first time I ever tried a CSA and I've been quite disappointed with the fall shares. The produce quality is inconsistent but mostly quite disappointing. Many of our apples look like they've been kicked around - covered in bruises and spots. Our carrots were two inches long and with bits rotted away. Our kale was completely coated in bugs. Many of the green beans had white mold inside. The apple cider went bad (undrinkable) on day 2 in the fridge.

Needless to say, I've been scared off CSAs for a while and I'll be going to farmer's markets instead where I can choose decent produce instead of getting the bottom of the barrel, which seems to be what Orchard Country is giving its fall shareholders this year.

I cannot say enough good things about Orchard Country's CSA. I got a small share for the full season (21 weeks) and have been loving every second of it. The produce is all excellent and fruit comes standard (which isn't true of most DC CSAs). You also get some other non-standard items like honey, nuts, and apple cider throughout the season.

I pick up at the DOT Farmer's Market and it is super quick and easy. This is a really well organized CSA - they have all your items prepacked in a cooler and you just swap your empty cooler (from the previous week) for the new one.

They also sell beef, cheese, and eggs in addition to the CSA items. Orchard Country is great!

I have just completed my summer CSA with Gregg and Louise and decided to sign on for the autumn season as well because I was so happy with the quality of the produce I was receiving.

Here are some of my favorites, so far: -Lemon cucumber -Sweet green heirloom tomatoes -sweet onions -peaches, nectarines, apples -zucchini -raspberries, blueberries -lettuce mix -beets -eggplant, broccoli -"extras" such as horseradish, jam or marmalade, mint tea, parsley -canataloupe, musk melon, watermelon -once a season they usually have meat available; the steak was good!

Even the worst of the produce is on par with what you get at the store on a normal day, but most of it is one and a half to three times better than that. And some of it, you just can't get in a store, period.

Honestly, I highly recommend this CSA. Few offer the variety that this one does, and the food is consistently delicious.

Every once in a while, they blow me away and make me question what I knew as a child to be what a certain food should look like. The latest examples of this area the watermelon, which was melon-colored (i.e. orange) on the inside, and the raspberries, have ranged in color from a clear light red, to the standard rich raspberry red to full-on orange. All were some of the tastiest I've ever had! And, I can tell you that you have an extra little pep in your step walking around all day knowing you are orange raspberries that day and nobody else in your office did! AND yours were tastier!

So, my point being, sign up as soon as you can. You'll eat healthier, enjoy a diverse diet, and feel good about supporting the friendly folks on this farm.

Any questions, contact me at marc dot elliott dot levy at gmail

A CSA e-mail from one of our shareholders:

"We greatly enjoy our CSA shares from Orchard Country Produce. Last Friday I worked late and came home to dinner made by my husband including a salad with last week's cucumber, carrots, onion and chard. The next morning...omlettes w/onion with breakfast potatoes w/onion! Saturday's dinner included green beans (great! cooked to a pulp like in Gretna, VA) and grilled zucchini/onions/peppers/carrots and potatoes. Sunday night, I made/froze a big pot of Chicken soup w/chard, potatoes, carrots and chopped carrot greens, zucchini, onion and I tossed in the leftover green beans! Everyone loved the peaches! Believe it or not, we still have...cucumbers, plums, peppers and some potatoes! We are leaving for the beach on Saturday...I'll be taking most of this week's share with me and sharing it with our friends!" -Lori

(used by permission)