Many Harvested & Pick-Your-Own Apples

   Many 'Enterprise' apples are still ripening for pick-your-own customers, and more will ripen for the next 2 weeks, until about Oct. 31.  'Enterprise' apples are great for fresh eating, pies, applesauce, apple butter, etc., and they keep well in the fridge for 7 to 8 months.

Many 'Enterprise' apples are still ripening on the trees for pick-your-own customers.

   Today we also started letting pick-your-own customers harvest 'GoldRush' apples, our latest-ripening apple variety.  We'll let customers harvest 'GoldRush' apples until about Nov. 8, or whenever we need to get them all picked before the first hard freeze of 24 F or lower.  'GoldRush' apples keep well in the fridge for 10 to 11 months, and get sweeter after at least 1 month of cold storage, as starches covert into sugars.

I harvested this mixed box of 'Enterprise' (red apples at left) and 'Sundance' (yellow apples at right) today, and have them for sale.

  We also have many harvested apples for sale now, mainly 'Enterprise', 'Sundance', and 'Querina'.  We also have a few 'GoldRush' that I just started harvesting, and we'll have more harvested 'GoldRush' until we sell out next spring.  We still have a few selections from my apple breeding program also.

   As of tonight, we still have about 125 pounds of harvested 'Harrow Sweet' pears and about 70 pounds of harvested 'Shinko' Asian pears for sale, until we sell out.  I give taste samples of apple varieties available at the time, pears and Asian pears, to those interested in buying some.

We still have about 125 pounds of harvested 'Harrow Sweet' pears for sale before we sell out, likely within a week.

   All the apples we grow are immune to apple scab disease, so we don't have to spray for that disease, so we can apply 1/3 fewer fungicide sprays than if we grew any apple variety you ever heard of.  Unlike grocery store apples, our apples are not treated with post-harvest wax containing a fungicide, and there are no pesticide residues on our apples.

   Pick-your-own apples cost $1.00 per pound + sales tax, and 2nds pick-your-own apples (with hail damage, cracks, or other surface damage) cost $0.79 per pound + sales tax.  If you pick 40 pounds or more of #1 and #2 apples, the price goes down to $0.93 per pound + sales tax for #1 apples and $0.74 per pound + sales tax for #2 apples.  "Pick-your-own" means that you harvest apples from the trees, and you buy everything you pick.

   Harvested apples, pears and Asian pears 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 apples and a 10-pound bag of pears or Asian pears, and still get the 20-pound discount.

   We also have many harvested 2nds apples, which cost $0.93 per pound + sales tax.  These have hail damage, cracks, or other surface damage, and are great for cooking or preserving.  All 2nds pears and Asian pears have now sold.

   For payment, we accept cash and checks (from any state), but NO credit cards or debit cards.  We have no phone line to the sales building, and no card reader.  Please bring your checkbook or enough cash to cover the amount of fruit you want to buy.  Thanks. 

   Just come during our fall 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 apples, 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.