Harvesting Asian Pears Now

   Our peach season is now over.  I harvested the last peaches yesterday morning and they sold.
   I started harvesting Asian pears last evening, and harvested more this morning.  I'll keep harvesting Asian pears for the next 4 weeks or so, and we'll have them for sale until we sell out in Oct.

'Shinko' Asian pears are ripening, and I've just started harvesting them and have some for sale now until Oct.

   Asian pears are shaped like apples, stay crisp like apples, and never get soft.  They're very sweet and juicy, great for fresh eating like an apple, plus great in salads and stir-fry dishes.  We grow 'Shinko' Asian pear because it's the variety with the most resistance to fire blight disease, which can kill pear trees.
   All our European pear varieties are resistant to fire blight disease also.  European pears are pear-shaped and are harvested and sold at the firm-ripe stage, then allowed to soften at room temperature for 3 to 5 days before eating, canning or cooking with them.
   Our first European pear variety to ripen is 'Blake's Pride', which produces large pears with a buttery, smooth texture.  The 'Blake's Pride' crop was reduced this year by a late spring frost, so these will be limited.  I'll start picking them in a few days.

These 'Blake's Pride' European pears will be ready to harvest in a few days.

   We have a good 'Harrowsweet' European pear crop coming along, and we'll start harvesting them in mid-late Sept.  We'll have 'Harrowsweet' pears for sale from late Sept. until we sell out in mid-late Oct.
   Pears and Asian pears are sold harvested only.  We do not allow customers to pick their own pears, because pears are tricky to harvest at just the right stage.  Pear trees also grow straight up, so I pick most fruit from a ladder, and we do not ever allow customers to use ladders.
   I'll start harvesting some early-ripening apple selections from my apple breeding program next week, but we'll have only small amounts of #1 apples for sale until our main apple season starts in late Sept.  Our pick-your-own apple season runs from about Sept. 25 until early Nov., and we'll have lots of harvested apples for sale during that time and for the next 6 months or so.
   Harvested Asian pears, European pears and apples all cost $1.30 per pound + sales tax. A 20-pound box costs $25.00 + sales tax, so you save $1.00 by buying 20 pounds.  I harvest pears and apples directly into 2 plastic bags lining the boxes, so you can get a 10-pound bag of Asian pears and a 10-pound bag of European pears or apples (when we have them), and still get the 20-pound discount.
   We often have a few pounds of 2nds Asian pears, European pears and apples, which all cost $0.93 per pound + sales tax.  These have hail damage, cracks, or other surface damage, and are great for cooking or preserving.  For the next week or two, we're still selling some 2nds 'Enterprise' and 'GoldRush' apples harvested in Nov. 2019, which are still great for making apple pie filling, applesauce, apple butter, etc.  My husband Bill is making a batch of apple butter right now.
   We're still open our Summer Hours (see sidebar at left) through Aug. 31.  From Sept. 1 to Nov. 30, we're open our Fall Hours (see sidebar at left).  Just come during our open hours, but if you want more than 20 pounds of fruit, call 620-597-2450 a day ahead and leave a message on our answering machine saying your name, day and time you'll come, and what you want to buy.  Thanks.

   While harvesting pears, I put a sign by the bell on our sales building that says, "I'm working in the orchard. Ring bell for service."  Ring it loudly, just once or twice, and I'll hear it and come to the sales building.

Last 8-10 Days for Peaches

   We're now harvesting our last main yellow peach variety, 'Carolina Gold', and the only white peach variety we grow, 'China Pearl'.  Both these varieties were developed by the North Carolina State University peach breeding program, and both are very flavorful.  Like all our peaches, both are freestone, meaning the fruit comes free from the stone (pit) when cut.

We still have 'Carolina Gold' yellow peaches (left box) and 'China Pearl' white peaches (right box) for sale for the next few days.

   These peaches are small this year due to drought, and many are seconds. Cracks formed in the developing fruit as they tried to gain size during a severe 6-week drought, then when we finally got rain, we also got hail, causing further damage to the fruit.  2nds peaches are fine for cutting into chunks or slices and freezing, canning or eating them.
   Harvested #1 peaches cost $1.34 per pound + sales tax, and we have only a few pounds for sale, so we limit each family to 10 pounds of #1 peaches.  2nds peaches cost just $0.93 per pound + sales tax, and you can get more than 10 pounds if we have them.

   We'll have peaches for sale for the next 8 to 10 days or so.  We also still have 2nds 'Enterprise' and 'GoldRush' apples for sale for $0.93 per pound + sales tax. These are wonderful for making applesauce, apple butter, apple pie filling, etc.

   Our workers start back to school tomorrow, so I'm on my own harvesting peaches until Sat., when the workers will help pick peaches.  So it helps if you call a day ahead and leave a message on our answering machine saying how many of what type of peaches you want, and the day and about what time you'll come, during our open hours.  We're still open our Summer Hours (see sidebar at left) through Aug. 31.

   While harvesting peaches, I put a sign by the bell on our sales building that says, "I'm working in the orchard. Ring bell for service."  Ring it loudly, just once or twice, and I'll hear it and come to the sales building.

Harvesting Many 2nds Peaches Now

   Our thornless blackberry season has now ended, a couple days earlier than predicted.  Several groups picked 4 to 6 quarts each on Sat. morning Aug. 1, but since then each group has gotten a quart or less.

   We're just starting to harvest more peaches, and the greatest amount of peaches this year will be harvested from Aug. 4 to 22.  However, they are almost all seconds.  Cracks formed in the developing fruit as they tried to gain size during a severe 6-week drought, then when we finally got rain 3 weeks ago, we also got hail, causing further damage to the fruit.

   2nds peaches are fine for cutting into chunks or slices and freezing or eating them.  I eat ‘Intrepid’ peach chunks each morning on my cereal, and each afternoon on frozen yogurt, and always use 2nds or 3rds peaches.

   Harvested #1 peaches cost $1.34 per pound + sales tax, and we have only a few pounds for sale, which sell very quickly.  2nds peaches cost just $0.93 per pound + sales tax.

This morning our workers started harvesting 'Glowingstar' peaches, and got about 12 pounds of #1 peaches like these plus about 30 pounds of 2nds.

   All our peach varieties from now on are freestone, meaning they come clean from the stone or pit when cut.  All are very flavorful, and I give taste samples.  Each variety ripens over a 10-14 day period, so we grow many different varieties that provide a succession of ripening over 8 weeks or so.

   We've now sold out of #1 'GoldRush' apples, but we still have a few pounds of #1 'Enterprise' apples and some selections from my apple breeding program for sale.  We'll have 2nds 'GoldRush' and 'Enterprise' apples for sale until mid-late Aug.  Harvested #1 apples cost $1.30 per pound + sales tax, and harvested #2 apples cost just $0.93 per pound + sales tax.

   We're open our Summer Hours, shown in the left sidebar, until Aug. 31.  However, if you're coming only for peaches, please arrive after 9 a.m. to give our workers time to harvest the peaches.  If you come in the evening, arrive here between 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., since it now gets dark at 8:40 p.m.