The 2020 apple season will begin on September 11. The hours will be the same as last year, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm. September 11 is about the time I expect the Honey Crisp to be ready to pick. Please keep in mind that this is a mostly a “pick your own” orchard.
The apple crop is probably the largest that I have had, however a down side is that some trees are loaded with apples and those apples may not reach full size.
I have some scab on some of the varieties this year. Perhaps 5 % of the crop, however Honey Crisp appears to be scab free. I can explain what scab is when you arrive.
The good news is that I see no Coddling Moth larva (worms) damage in the apples.
My pricing will be $1.75 a pound for Honey Crisp and Ginger Gold and $1.00 pound for all other varieties. I have not raised the price on my mainline varieties because of the large amount of apples I have this year.
One last word about the virus. We will be following the state guidelines, which means masks and social distancing. However, apple picking is an open air activity and therefore a low risk activity. So no masks while picking. Just maintain social distances from other families or pods. I would however ask the person in the group to wear a mask in the confined space of the apple house when checking out. For those interested in details here is the link to the state standards
2019 Apple Season
“Pick Your Own”opening date for the 2019 season is Sept 7th. We will be open Sept. 7 to Nov 3rd, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. If you have a group or wish to come at a different time then please call 414-249-6693.
I am opening the second weekend in September because that is about when Honey-crisp and Ginger Gold are ripe or nearly ripe. I do not have nearly enough of these two popular varieties so they will be on a first come first serve bases.
In general I have an average crop this year. However, some susceptible varieties, such as Empire and Cortland have a skin blemish called scab. This is a cosmetic problem and the interior of the apple is not affected. This was caused by a lack of fungicide sprays in May because of a mechanical breakdown. Most varieties, including Honey Crisp and Ginger Gold, do not have this skin blemish.
On the up side, I planted 350 new apple trees the last two springs. I am planting trees that are in demand now like Honey-crisp and Ginger gold and taking out McIntosh, but also the plantings in general are aging out and need to be replaced.
My pricing will be the same as in prior years. $1.50 a pound for Honey Crisp and Ginger Gold and $1.00 pound for all other varieties.
Oh, and one more thing. My faithful dog Maggie, a black lab, died this year. She was thirteen years old. Maggie was my orchard greeter for many years.