Pick your own

During the Harvest Season, enjoy picking your own Apples! Here are some picking tips:

Buy your 11# peck bag in the Apple Lodge and hop on the wagon for a ride through the orchard. ($20 per peck)
People of any age may pick. Help children choose fruit that will satisfy your family.
Use two hands when picking. Apples in pairs or clusters will fall to the ground if you try to pick just one. If you happen to drop an apple, please pick it up. It won’t have fallen far.
To pick like the professionals, curl the apple a half turn and upward. This works much better than pulling or twisting. The apples “pop” right off.

Since we’re dealing with nature, the approximated picking dates are subject to change. Descriptions are generalizations. Conditions of each growing season, time of harvest, and other factors affect whether any variety possesses its described traits.

SUMMER has officially arrived, and we have a terrific crop of baby apples. In early June we were already showing 1-1/4" apples (see photo) --more like "toddler" than baby apples. The very mean hail storm that pounded the Cities several weeks ago passed us by. We have conquered the bug predators and scab fungus -- so far. So, in gratitude, we brag about the beauty and perfection of what you can pick this Fall. Of course, we have yet to survive July and August. Hopefully September and October are not so wet as last year. So, as always, this crop is not all in our hands.

We have planted 700 new Honeycrisp trees, joining the 1,000 we planted in 2015. We also added another 200 "spitter" varieties for our hard cider-- Just so you know we have not been idle. We wouldn't want to run out of your favorites by the time your kids grow up and bring the grandkids out to pick.

In the meantime, our Happily Apple and Cranberry Tart hard Ciders have been received with enthusiasm (because they are really good). So, check the shelves in stores throughout the Twin Cities -- especially the Western Suburbs and Rochester. Click on the Cider bottle photo to see where tastings are scheduled. We hope to have our Orchard Tasting Room open before Fall, so watch this site for updates.