It’s Labor Day weekend and we’re spending it a little differently around the orchard this year. What is usually a very busy opening of the apple season was somewhat more quiet than in past years. There was no hustle and bustle of customers sampling apples and enjoying the “fruits of our labors.” We were able to open this past Friday (September 4th), but with limited amounts of apples we sold out rather quickly and were not able to open our sales doors on Saturday and Sunday which was our initial plan. Our hours are dependent on how much product we can make available each week and how much is sold each day. We will open each Friday in September and whether we open on each Saturday and Sunday of that weekend is dependent on Friday sales. We only sell what we grow and when our limited supplies are gone we can’t replenish until the next weekend when the next varieties ripen. We will make every effort to keep the information on social media and of course, use our phone contact if there are questions.
We have over 50 varieties of apples in the orchard but with the damage from the late Spring freeze, many varieties were completely wiped out for this season. Since we have limited varieties and thus limited amounts of fruit to pick, our harvest and subsequent sales have been altered drastically. This week the plan is to pick Crimson Crisp and Pixie Crunch. We never know exactly what will be coming into the sorting room until we finish picking. Besides a loss of fruit, the fruit that we do pick is sometimes damaged with frost rings and not in a condition to offer for sale. We do plan to reopen again on the 11th of September and offer these varieties to our customers.
The following week, the 18th, our plan is to have Yellow/Golden Delicious available. This is the apple variety that was a mainstay in most orchards for many years. It is referred to as “Mullins” Golden Delicious by many in the nursery business. We are fortunate to still have this variety as it is getting more scarce every year as newer versions are being developed and planted. Not considered an heirloom variety, but it’s probably close to the top of the list to do so.
“We’re in this together.” Let’s keep this in mind as we work through this harvest season. We will do the best we can and thanks for supporting us in our efforts. We always appreciate the patronage of our customers.