It’s been another busy week outside at the Orchard. This time of year it’s hard to keep up with picking since we grow so many things. It seems like everything starts being ripe at the same time!
Apples – We’ve picked a lot of apples this week! New additions are Redfree, Sansa, St. Edmunds Pippin and Ginger Gold. I started spot picking a few Zestar! this week also. Until they ripen a little more our quantity of Zestar! is limited, but by the beginning of next week, I imagine I’ll have a ton ready to go. Next up will probably be Summer Rambo in a few days.
Peaches – We still have loads of peaches and several later varieties that haven’t started yet. This week we’ve mostly been picking Coralstar and Flamin’ Fury PF-19, with a smaller mix of Starfire and Redhaven as we clean up those trees. We also have our Sunglo nectarines, and I just started picking our Blushingstar white peaches.
Plums – Our earliest prune plum variety is ripe now–Castleton! It’s a great all around plum, good for eating and baking.
Pears – I just picked our Sunrise pears. Our first Asian pears should be ready in a few days.
Veggies – We’re running low on broccoli until fall, but I think everything else remains the same. The new addition this week is our heirloom tomatoes are ripe.
U-Pick – Blueberries are over until next June. We still have a handful of late ripening red raspberries, and some really nice blackberries. The blackberries are thorny, though, so as I’ve said before, I recommend a glove to move the canes out of the way and then pick with your other hand. After the berries are over, our next u-pick crop won’t be until mid-late September, when we open the u-pick apple block.
Stay current with our What’s Ripe page, updated daily this time of year.
When will you have Honeycrisp and Jonathan’s I make applesauce every year and I’m anxious to get started!
We have Honeycrisp right now, Jonathan in maybe about a week.