Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone! We hope you've had a wonderful holiday.

It's been a busy few weeks at the farm as we've begun our cabbage harvest. Cabbage is our 'winter' crop as it can withstand cold temperatures and that's a good thing since it hasn't exactly been warm these past several days!

We've also put a garden in for Scott's Country Market this season and we're got great fresh produce on hand, like strawberries, tomatoes, eggplant and peppers, to name a few. Come on by and get your fruit and vegetables directly from our farm and experience the wholesome goodness of fresh produce.

For your added convenience, we're also selling our produce at our highway stand on 441, just south of Zellwood and will soon be at some other farmer's markets in the area. This weekend, please come by and see us at Lakeridge Winery's festival in Clermont.

Although our corn maze is now closed, we're about to open up the farm for parties and special events. There will be special rates for birthday parties - which include our jumping pillow, playgrounds and zip line, as well as rates for our tree maze. Stayed tuned for more info!

Do you have any ideas for what you'd like to see us selling, or items you'd like to see featured in the cafe? We'd love to hear from you!

Anna Sciarrino
Director, Sales & Marketing
anna@longandscottfarms.com

'Tis the Season

As the fall season winds down, we are, once again, so grateful for a bountiful harvest and the patronage of our guests in helping to make this such a wonderful time. Weekends at the farm have been so much fun and our weekday groups have had a great time learning and exploring. And it’s not over yet!

Thanksgiving weekend, we begin our transition over to the Christmas holidays and we have so much going on! From getting lost in the maze and shopping at our market, to buying christmas trees and visiting with Santa Clause, there is something for everyone as we approach our final three weeks. Come by and join us and please remember to bring a toy for our local children which will be distributed through Toys for Tots.

This year, Scott’s Country Market will remain open through the winter months and we have so many crops planted to ensure a great supply of fresh, local produce and food into the spring. Please come by and let us help you bring our farm to your table.

On behalf of everyone at Long & Scott Farms, best wishes for the holidays and a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.

Anna Sciarrino
Director, Sales & Marketing
Long & Scott Farms
Growing great produce since 1963
Anna@LongandScottFarms.com

Scott's Country Market

Our fall season is in full swing at Scott’s Country Market. The famous Zellwood Sweet Corn is sweet and tender as always and picked fresh daily for our market. We also have Kirby Cucumbers, okra, eggplant, squash, and zucchini grown right here at Long & Scott Farms.

Our cooler is stocked with even more fresh produce, Amish butter and cheeses, and some new bacon, sausages, and bratwurst. Don’t forget to check out our decorations for the perfect addition to your fall décor, including everything from corn stalks to the perfect carving pumpkin! Come see us anytime Tuesday through Saturday from 9-5, and on Sundays from 1-5. Please let us know how we can help you.

We can’t wait to see you at the market!

Haley Scott
Retail Sales Supervisor
Haley@LongandScottFarms.com

2011 Corn Maze, 1st Weekend

Hey all you corny maze lovers out there, our Maze team made it through our first weekend of 2011 with flying colors. Wow, our 9th year and we have come a long way. Thanks from all the Maze crew to those who came out this weekend. We did provide a little liquid sunshine and boy it did feel good. Yes, Saturday was hot but there was the Wind Tunnel and the Mist Maze to help cool us off. Thanks to the Original Lake Eustis Dixie Land Band, the music was super and we will see you guys back out here soon. Sunday was beautiful after a quick ‘lite’ rain. It even chased the bugs away! Our Clown face painters were adorable, Thanks girls.
Thanks to all that came out and for your comment and pictures! Please keep them coming. Kevin thanks for that great suggestion and hope to see you again. We do plan to get on that suggestion too. We really had so many fun and happy visitors; you make it even more fun to be out here.
This coming weekend we have a “cool” theme going! It will involve water balloons and the first 200 kids will get some “cool” goodies! We look forward to seeing you out at the Corn Maze!
Rebecca and Crew from somewhere in the big maze

President's Blog

I want to apologize to all our faithful followers for my absence on our blog. I have been very busy working hard, along with our dedicated staff, to make sure our Maze and Market would be ready for your attendance this fall.

We have made many improvements to insure the greatest experience you could possibly have at Scott's Maze Adventures. From expanding the market for better flow and ease of checking in and out, to the installation of our new 40 x 65 foot jumping pillow for even more fun in our maze park. We have also put an information center under the tower with water sales for everyone's convenience.

Cathy and Tom are back with their wonderful cooking, along the Catfish House that features excellent seafood selections and Snowballs to cool and quench you thirst.

We have expanded the dates from Sept 17th to Dec. 11 to give more folks a chance to visit us and experience all the fall holidays with us. We will have pumpkins for October and November, and Christmas trees available after Thanksgiving for your very Merry Christmas.

Our growers have planted one of the most beautiful mazes we have ever had, and we have been blessed with the most perfect weather. They have also increased the size of our garden to provide more fresh vegetables grown right here on the farm. Scott's Zellwood Gourmet Sweet Corn is in early, and as sweet as it can be.

When you come to the market and maze, please don't forget the new entrance from Jones Avenue which brings you into the back of the market where we have plenty of parking for your convenience. My sister Rebecca, our Maze Manager and daughter Haley, our Market Manager, have done a great job bringing in a very good staff intent on the ultimate customer service to make your visit fun and memorable.

We are ready and looking forward to having each and everyone of you come to see us this fall. Please let us hear from you and let us know how we can serve you better.

Hank Scott
President, Long & Scott Farms
Hank@longandscottfarms.com

Harvest Time!

Our season has finally gotten under way and we are, once again, so fortunate to be in the business of harvesting food! We’re now shipping corn and pickling cucumbers and even have a garden planted for Scott’s Country Market. Our costs are still going up, however, and this is always a concern for us. It’s a long time between planting and receiving payment and our input costs keep rising. It seems everything on the farm is tied to the price of petroleum and while you may see the price of gas going down, we already have planted under the higher prices.

We are also fortunate to have enjoyed good weather up until now. As I’m sure you’re all aware, the end of the summer was not so kind to our neighbors in the Northern and Midwestern states. For many it meant a complete loss of crop and this is just devastating to everyone involved. As a result, there is a pretty empty pipeline of many fruits and vegetables right now. Even bringing them in from California and/or Mexico doesn’t offer a cost-effective solution as the freight costs to truck them into the east coast are exorbitant. These costs and shortages will mean some higher prices in the stores for many and we, along with the companies we supply and who supply us, are trying to do everything possible to keep the costs down.

Scott’s Maze Adventures, along with Scott’s Country Market opened this past weekend. We are glad to be up and going and we hope you’ll come join us for a great day on the farm. We’ll be open two weeks longer as well and besides our pumpkins in October, we’ll also be bringing Christmas trees in Thanksgiving weekend. Our weekends are full of lots of events and contests, not to mention all the different things to do out in the maze part, like our 60’ slide and brand new Jumping Pillow.

We’re looking forward to having everyone here this season. As ever, thanks so much for all your support and continued patronage and best wishes for a wonderful fall!

Anna Sciarrino
Director, Sales & Marketing
Anna@longandscottfarms.com

Update from Maze Manager

Wow! Where has the Summer gone….and only 3 weeks until the opening day of our 2011 Scott’s Maze Adventures, on Saturday the 17th of September. This is going on our 9th year! That’s 9 different 7 acre corn mazes from Long & Scott Farms! Great Scott we have come a Long way baby.

It has been a busy week at the Farm. The design was cut on Monday and the tilling of the paths followed, anytime Farmer Hank got an hour or two away from the office. Of course his cell phone still works in the Corn Maze and business must go on. Now we grow, we weed & mow, we re-paint, we repair and we are installing the new Jumping Pillow! We have heard from many of you that are excited to get lost in this year’s maze design and to see what is new out here at the Farm. We have got fun events planned for the weekends and are looking forward to seeing new and old friends alike.

You can save time by buying tickets online. It is easy and safe. Payment is done through PayPal. Just go out to our website and look for online tickets. We are also taking group reservations for weekdays, Fridays fill up fast so reserve your date and time now!

Fall Update

We hope you're all doing well and have enjoyed a wonderful summer. We've been busy here at the farm and are excited about the fall 2011 season. The farm will be opening to the public earlier this year (and staying open longer) in our continuing effort to better serve your needs.

Scott's Country Market will open on Friday, September 16th, and Scott’s Maze Adventures on Saturday, September 17th. Every weekend will be filled with lots to do and we have a great Christmas celebration planned in December, complete with Santa and Christmas trees for sale. As ever, we’re hoping Mother Nature cooperates with our dates so you can purchase our famous Scott's Zellwood Sweet Gourmet Corn and Great Scott Kirby cucumbers, along with a variety of fresh local produce and other treats from our market. If we do harvest any earlier than the 16th, we'll be selling corn at our farm stand on Highway 441, across from the country airport just south of Zellwood. Please check our website for updates at http://www.longandscottfarms.com/SweetGourmet.htm

Saturday, September 17th marks the grand opening of our 2011 corn maze, ‘Renewable Energy’ and our Fall Festival. We have many new additions to our park this year, including a Jumping Pillow. Stay turned to our website www.longandscottfarms.com and Facebook pages https://www.facebook.com/ScottsMazeAdventures for special promotions and discounts for that day. You'll note that we have some special-event Saturdays and weekends planned which will be filled with lots of surprises and events, along with games and prizes, so be sure to stay in touch!

As you know, weekdays at the farm are reserved for school groups. Please help support our activities by asking your local schools to schedule some field trips to the farm - they are not only educational, but great fun for the kids! We also have great team building events for companies and are happy to tailor a program suited to those needs. Don't forget that you can purchase your individual maze tickets online and also make reservations for your group by filling out our form and sending it in to us directly from the website.

We’re looking forward to seeing you all here this fall. Until then, best wishes from everyone at Long & Scott and thank you for your support and continued patronage!

Corn Maze Update

The Corn Maze has been planted! We are most thankful for the rain, but the very heavy showers washed away the seeds and we have had to replant a few rows. Most of the stalks are about a foot high already. But don't worry, by opening day we will have a maze. So get ready to get LOST in the corn! Stay tuned as we get things in shape and have some new things out here! More to come soon...

Check out our sentry on patrol atop the maze tower

A Note from our Maze Manager

Hey Maze followers! It is almost summer and the time is flying by. Our corn maze is just a little more than three months away, and we are knee-deep in the planning stages!

Our theme for fall 2011 is “RENEWABLE ENERGY”. We have finalized the design and are working on game sheets, t-shirts, new activities and updating the website. We are even planning on an early opening date of September the 17th and a later closing date of December the 11th! That means an additional four weekends - plus 20 extra days for group events!

As we have done in past years, there will be two Scout Weekends and we hope your scout group can make one of them! If you cannot make those dates, any group that has 25 or more guests can qualify to receive a group discount.

Also stay tuned to Facebook for other exciting deals for this year’s Fall Corn Maze. And let us know you plan on heading our way. If you have been to one of our previous corn mazes, what was your favorite design, activity or memory?


Rebecca Scott Ryan
Maze Manager
rebecca@longandscottfarms.com

Springing into Summer

As our season comes to an end in a couple of weeks, we are looking back on what has been a remarkable and bountiful harvest. The farm began this season with some weather events, including flooding, which gave us all some pause, but everything has worked out well. We are so fortunate in this respect, and also because we have such a dedicated and devoted group of employees who often work from sunup to sundown to grow, harvest and ship our produce. If you've ever visited the farm on a day when we are in full swing, you know that our staff is remarkable in their efforts to bring you the freshest, safest and best produce.

We want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for visiting with us this season and for buying our produce. At Long & Scott we never lose sight of the fact that all our efforts would be in vain if it was not for the support and patronage of our customers. We always say that we have the best customers and that is certainly the case season after season.

People often ask us what we do in the summer, as the general assumption is that we take time off. In some respects, that is true, as it is a vacation time for many of us. What we also do, however, is begin getting ready for the next season. The fall is a special time on the farm when we look forward to welcoming the community on to the property to not only see our operation, but have some fun doing it! We have many surprises in store for you this fall, including some additions to Scott's Country Market and Scott's Maze Adventures. Stay tuned for our updates and please stay in touch.

We look forward to seeing you in September when we'll be beginning our next harvest and fall season. Until then, a happy, healthy and enjoyable summer to everyone and our thanks again for such a memorable spring!

Anna Sciarrino
Director, Sales & Marketing
anna@longandscottfarms.com

How Water is Important to the Farm

One of the biggest challenges - and most important parts - of farming, is water. We not only have to give the crops the water that they need, but drain it off after heavy rains.

At Long and Scott Farms, we farm on flatwoods ground which has a natural hardpan. This hardpan allows us too irrigate and drain in a very efficient way. This is done by ditches that are placed sixty feet apart and about a foot deep. As water runs through the ditches it seeps out in the field and the hardpan keeps it from going down. There are also ponds on the farm that collect rain water that also affect the moisture in our fields. We can irrigate up to one hundred acres at the same time with one well.

When crops are irrigated overhead, much of the water evaporates. And when plant leaves get wet it creates perfect conditions for disease. Overhead irrigation is normally expensive and labor intensive. If water leaches, so does fertilizer. Ditch irrigation helps conserve water, fertilizer, chemical usage, labor and fuel. We grow our crops with minimum amounts of water needed for healthy plants and with minimal amounts of evaporation and run off. At Long and Scott protecting our natural resources is a top priority.

Do you have question about water and irrigation? Please send them along.

Cade Easley
Integrated pest manager
Cade@longandscottfarms.com

A Message from our Founder

I grew up in Virginia on our family farm, when liberty and freedom was enjoyed by my parents and seven siblings. Family was the glue that made it all work. Everyone was physically involved at an early age. The farm of 350 acres was planted in vegetables and stocked with animals for food and power. Family member’s dedication, inspiration, respect for each other and for our neighbors was expected and given.

In 1963 a call came from Bill Long, a Virginia Farm childhood neighbor. He suggested we come to Florida, buy some sand land and grow pickling cucumbers. My wife, our three children and I came to Zellwood and started on 35 acres. Today pickles are still our main crop, along with cabbage, sweet corn and a few other minor crops. Long and Scott Farms was established in 1963 and today is managed by Frank D. Scott III on almost 1,200 acres and pledged to produce and help feed this great country.

Frank D. Scott Jr.
Founder and Chairman of the Board
Long & Scott Farms

Got Corn?

Many of our customers tell us that they surely know spring is here once they see our corn hit the market. Scott’s Zellwood Sweet Sweet Corn™, which has been grown on this farm for almost 50 years, is a long-standing spring (not to mention, fall) tradition. Hand-picked each day for maximum freshness, our corn is a triple-sweet variety and as many people have found out, can be eaten raw if that is your preference. But for those of you who do like to cook it, it takes only 3 minutes in boiling water after you shuck it, or just 2 minutes on high in the microwave for each ear (and you can leave the shuck on). One thing you don’t want to do it heat it too long. As we like to say – just long enough to melt the butter!

This coming weekend marks the 37th annual Zellwood Corn Festival. Though Long & Scott Farms does not put on the festival, we have supplied the corn for it all these years. Due to the economy, the festival was postponed last year, but is back for two days this year with lower ticket prices, as well as some other changes made by the North Orange County Improvement Association (N.O.C.I.A), the sponsor of the event. Long & Scott will have a booth at the festival to sell Scott’s Zellwood Sweet Corn™ and there are several outside vendors who will be cooking it as well. For more information, please visit their website www.zellwoodcornfestival.com.
In the meantime, please come visit Scott’s Country Market at the farm, or visit our farm stand on Hwy 441, just south of Zellwood, where we always have a ready supply of corn, as well as fresh, local produce. Thank you for your continued patronage and for supporting all of our efforts to keep providing our customers with the freshest produce in the area.

Do you have any corn recipes you’d like to share? Please send them along!

Thelma's Special Day!!!

This weekend, we celebrate the birthday of one of our longest-standing and most devoted employees – Thelma! Those of you who shop at Scott’s Country Market have no doubt met her and love her as much as we do! If you come by, be sure to wish her a happy day. This is what comes of eating a lifetime of fresh and local food! Happy Birthday Thelma!

Cover Crops

Long and Scott Farms is a diversified grower, as well as shipper. Some of the crops we grow are to be sold at different markets around the United States. Other crops are grown to build our soil, and we also grow crops to be sold at Scotts Country Market . Our primary crops are pickling cucumbers , sweet corn, sod, and cabbage. The vegetables that are grown on a smaller scale for the market are cilantro, peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, squash, onions, watermelon, sunflowers and okra.

Right now, as we finish with a pickle field, we plant a cover crop. Cover crops can be sorgumn sudan grass, millet, oats, rye and ryegrass. Cover crops are great for our soil. We rotate our crops to break up insect cycles and also so we don’t continue to pull the same nutrients out of the soil. These crops are grown just for the purpose of giving back to the soil . When they are worked into the soil, they are an excellent source of organic matter that builds the soil. They also are very helpful with disease control, weeds, erosion and soil compaction. If cover crops were not planted we would have to work the soil several times to control weeds ,so there is also savings on labor and fuel, as well as wear and tear on equipment.

I learned at a young age that dirt is not just dirt! It is a wonderful asset that helps to feed the world. Do you have any questions about cover crops or soil? Please send us your comments.

Cade Easley
Integrated pest manager
Cade@longandscottfarms.com

Spring Update – Part III – A message from the President

As our season continues on the farm, we are so lucky to have such great crops growing. We’re off to a very dry start. In Florida, we’re experiencing the driest winter in 80 years and it looks to continue into the spring. I won’t complain too much, however, because I think we can do a better job getting the water to the crops rather than getting the water off the crops in a timely fashion when we get too much. That happened a few weeks back when we got 5 inches in a couple of days.

Also, dry seasons usually mean better yields, providing it is not so dry that the seeds wouldn’t get germinated properly. A nice half-inch soaking of rain once a week would be perfect for the crops and cut our electric bill by a bunch! But as farmers we have learned to accept what we get in the way of weather and deal with it the best we can. As the saying goes, “Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.” That really is the mind-set one has to have in agriculture. Unlike many other businesses, you have so many variables (weather in particular) that you can’t control, and months of hard work and investment can be wiped out in a matter of a few minutes.

As a result, what we farmers concentrate on doing is controlling the variables that we can and do the absolute best we can to be at the top of our game. Then we hope that the rest falls into place! That probably goes against all the business-success models that you have ever learned, but that is farming. To be a farmer you must be the eternal optimist, always positive, tirelessly persistent and have unyielding faith. Not unlike other businesses, you have to surround yourself with great people who share a similar passion.

If you‘re reading this and think I have it all figured out, you would be mistaken. I would love to hear any input you might have, because everyday on the farm is a learning experience and I love out-of-the-box thinking.

Thanks for all your support of our efforts and please come and visit our retail store, Scott’s Country Market, beginning April 29th.

Hank Scott
President
Hank@LongandScottFarms.com

Soil Around the Farm

There is much that goes into ensuring the proper, safe and healthy growth of our plants. At Long & Scott Farms for instance, we farm on sand and we have to constantly monitor growing conditions.

Routine soil samples are taken in each field before each crop. Samples are also taken if we have any problems with plants that are not growing properly. This is done so we have healthy soil and we can make fertilizer adjustments as needed. However, fertilizer is just a quick fix as it does not build the soil like organic matter does. We also check for soil ph. The ph of the soil can be adjusted with lime and sulfur . If certain nutrients like calcium are out of whack this can cause other nutrients to be bound and not available to the plant. A soil report will also tell us the Cation Exchange Capacity, which is the ability of the soil to hold nutrients. Most all nutrients that are found in the soil are also found in the human body. This is why fruits and vegetables are very nutritious .Nutrients are transferred from the soil to the plant and the fruit through photosynthesis (sunlight). Different types of soil and weather conditions can effect the taste of vegetables.

Come on over to Scott’s Country Market and try some of our sand-farm produce! In the meantime, if you have any questions, please let us hear from you.

Cade Easley
Integrated pest manager
Cade@longandscottfarms.com

Food safety

You may have noticed some news lately about produce being recalled or warnings issued about a food health issue in relation to certain products. It wasn’t that long ago that these warnings prompted massive fears over public health and could often result in serious illness, or worse yet, death. The produce industry has not only been swift, but extremely competent, in self-regulation. The result is that now, most growers, shippers and packers have implemented programs that ensure the public safety through the use of water, soil and product testing. In addition, packing houses like the one at Long & Scott, have inventory software systems in place that can trace a carton of produce not just back to the field, but to every wholesale customer who has received it. These tests and traceability initiatives have resulted in a reporting system that is not simply reactive, but proactive in nature and scope. Nowadays, when you see a recall, most product can not only be traced to its source, but identified by lot number and field. When you consider the volume of fresh produce that moves across this country, this is not only an amazing accomplishment, but a giant leap in helping to guarantee that the food supply you receive from America’s farms is protected and safe.

Do you have food safety questions? We are happy to answer them for you, so please let us hear from you.

Anna Sciarrino
Director, Sales & Marketing
sales@longandscottfarms.com

The Bees are Here!!

Our bumble bees arrived last week and they are welcome guests on the farm! The bees will be calling Long and Scott Farms their home for the next nine weeks and they are a very important part of growing pickles.

Without proper pollination, pickles can become crooked and deformed, and this results in low yields on the crop. The bees are placed around our fields and we give them some shade and let them go to work. We also use honey bees on the farm and we have to be careful not to put the bumble bees too close to them because they will invade each others hives.

Pickles are a flowering vine plant and a bee has to visit a flower eight times or more to achieve proper pollination. Each acre has over forty thousand plants and each plant can have as many as fifteen flowers. The bees have a lot of work to do! Many insecticides are toxic to bees , so we must maintain a safe and healthy environment for them.

Corn, on the other hand, is a self-pollinating plant. The pollination occurs when the wind blows the tassel, which is on top of the stalk, and the pollen drops to the silk. As you can see, at Long and Scott Farms, our produce is a true work of nature!

Do you have any questions about how plants grow? Please let us hear from you.


Cade Easley
Integrated pest manager
cade@longandcottfarms.com