Hi everyone,
I want to start by thanking you all for a great u-pick and festival season! We couldn’t have this job that we love if it wasn’t for you folks supporting us. THANK YOU. It means everything to us.
Although we still have a few fresh veggies (cauliflower, cabbage, kale and brussels sprouts) coming on, all the apples are harvested at this point, and mostly we’re starting to get ready for winter. This means changing back to our off-season hours. Until strawberries start in June, our hours are Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm and Sundays 11am-5pm.
This also means Thanksgiving is coming up, and bakery ordering is upon us. I have the ordering set up online again this year. All bakery orders are for carryout only…we’re not set up to deliver. There are time slots set for Tuesday and Wednesday (the 26th and 27th) of Thanksgiving week. Just select the time slot when you add bakery to your cart. We’re closed Thursday and Friday of Thanksgiving week, but you can also order bakery for the weekend after (or before) Thanksgiving Thursday…just select Non-holiday and tell us when you want to pick it up at Checkout. Here’s the link for ordering: https://rittmanorchards.com/product-category/bakery-ordering/
Outside in the orchard, while our work is never done, the load lightens up a fraction until spring, mostly because the days are getting shorter. I’m spending my next few days scouting every block of the orchard to mark unhealthy/unproductive trees for removal. Before snow gets here, we also have to mulch the blueberries, strawberries and other small fruits, get a winter weed spray down, and winterize all the equipment. Then usually by around Christmas time, we start to prune. And prune. And prune some more. We have to start so early because our small team hand prunes every perennial fruit tree/bush/cane/vine that we grow that isn’t a strawberry. This takes us months, with the goal to be done with everything before bloom. Sometimes we even almost make it.
Well, time for me to get back to my scouting. I’ll talk to you again before too long. Thanks for your business and for taking the time to read our newsletters. Have a great week!
-Chris
