We are currently looking for two part-time seasonal workers from late August to mid-October. Workers will be harvesting and packing apples and other produce. Workers must be motivated, have attention to detail, be able to lift 50 lbs, and available to work week days. Expected work schedule will be 15-25 hours per week, typically on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays. The position will be compensated at $8.50 to $10/hour. If interested, please email your prior work experience and references to BuffaloRidgeOrchard@gmail.com.
Once again the days are getting brighter, and longer, and we’re starting to think of warmth and sun and vegetables and apples! Marcus and Emma have already finished pruning the pear trees and have made good progress in the apple orchard. Vern has been busy planting the movable high tunnels and Mary is busy in the greenhouse. We all are still enjoying the last of our apples and root crops. This is the perfect time to sign up for one our 2016 CSA shares. This year, in addition to our Veggie-Apple combination share, we are also offering an Apple-only share – both of which you can sign-up for online.
The Veggie-Apple CSA share will provide a great mix of fresh seasonal vegetables, such as peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, herbs, and fresh greens in August; kale, cabbage, chard, garlic, tomatoes, herbs, winter squash, peppers, and potatoes in September; and fall greens, herbs, winter squash, pie pumpkins, and potatoes in October. All of these great veggies will be paired with a number of apple varieties as they ripen throughout the fall season. Click the button below to sign-up for either share, or click here for more information.
Our new Apple share is an easy way to get your weekly supply of apples, or as an add-on to one of our Veggie-Apple shares (for families wanting more apples each week). Just like our Veggie-Apple share, the apple varieties will change throughout the season as they’re harvested ripe out of the orchard. Click the button above to sign-up, or click here for more information.
It is that time of year when we truly appreciate growing, selling, and more importantly eating locally produced food. Tomatoes are always more delicious than we remembered and cucumbers are a cool and refreshing contrast to the heat of late July. In contrast eggplant, zucchini, new potatoes, and beets give us comfort and satisfaction. We take delight in the sweet and sprightly early apple as we eat our first Pristine apple. Not far behind we start enjoying Redfree and Dandee Red apples which provide a hint of the beloved fall Jonathan and McIntosh, while still reigning over summer with their straighforward flavor.
Pristine apples are an apple that always initially knocks us off our feet with its juiciness. It requires much care in harvest and packing to prevent bruising and of course it has a tendency to drop off the tree at a concerning rate making us cringe whenever there is a breezy day on the farm. However this extra care is rewarded with an apple that packs a powerful sweet tart punch.
Redfree apple is preview of the future fall Jonathan apple and the name references it’s red color and somewhat disease resistance. A much better name for this apple is early-Jon because it truly is a crunchy tart apple with a hint of sweetness.
Dandee Red is such a great early apple with its firm dense texture and tart flavor. We often compare the flavor of the Dandee Red to a McIntosh but without the snap – this description grossly underestimates how wonderful this apple is on the tastebuds. The firm dense finely grained texture has a creaminess missing from the fall McIntosh.
Success! Emma graciously accepts the Rhubarb Torch Award for the “Most Tangy [some say Bitter] During Bloom.” She is hoping for thicker skin next year. Photo provided by the talented Jessica Rilling.This year marks several milestones big and small. Mary and Vern have been farming for close to 40 years. This will be the tenth season of apple trees in production on the farm. And coincidentally, tomorrow Marcus and Emma will be celebrating ten years of marriage. So how is this year shaping up on this adventure called farming?
After several cool nights that made us all have heartburn over the apple crop this spring, we find ourselves wondering why we volunteered to be in the boxing ring with Mother Nature. We had flashbacks to 2012, when we lost close to 100 percent of our crop due to an early bloom, followed by what were seasonably low temperatures for early April. Over the past few weeks we surveyed blossoms and estimated fruit set. In a typical year we thin the fruit down by 50 to 60 percent to ensure a return bloom for next year and for fruit size. However, there are plenty of other variables that can affect fruit set, including cloud cover, temperature, and pollination. This year we estimated that 4o percent of blossoms would set fruit, which would essentially be close to a normal crop.
Funny how a few weeks can change your outlook on life and growing year. The apple crop looks strong, the potato spuds emerged, we started the market season well, and we are almost done planting our vegetable fields. We are already happily complaining about all the fruit thinning we need to do in the orchard.
I am not sure how Vern and Mary have survived 40 years of farming, except that they seem to have a skill that I think you only obtain after years of practice – adaptability! Things do not always go as planned – actually that is the only thing you can plan for. But if you are good at observing cycles and can anticipate changes that need to be made, you’ll be able to sleep most nights.
We are currently looking for two part-time seasonal workers from late August to mid-October. Workers will be harvesting and packing apples and other produce. Workers must be motivated, have attention to detail, be able to lift 50 lbs, and available to work week days. Expected work schedule will be 15-25 hours per week, typically on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays. The position will be compensated at $8.50 to $10/hour. If interested, please email your prior work experience and references to BuffaloRidgeOrchard@gmail.com.
