More varieties are ripening,  so tomorrow Friday September 16 we are opening up picking for Honeycrisp, Cortland and Macoun.  There are still very good Macintosh on the 82 year old trees in the old orchard plus more Macintosh and Gala on the younger trees.  Limited amounts of Ginger Gold and Zestars are still out there.

We have restocked our cider and syrup supplies and hope to have enough to avoid running out Sunday afternoon.

The new donut kitchen worked well last weekend – Sylvia and one of our daughters made over 1200 donuts.  She and another daughter will be making donuts Saturday and Sunday.  They will try to make enough to last until mid afternoon.

Photo shows a nice HoneyCrisp tree – Crop looks very good this year – come while we have the best picking.

The new donut kitchen has been approved for all the (many) required permits and will be in operation Saturday & Sunday.  We are getting stocked up on cider and Havoc Hill maple syrup.

Still good Zestars and Ginger Golds, though not as many as last weekend.  On Thursday we are opening up more Macintosh and Galas – lots of good Macintosh on the 82 year old trees in the old orchard.  Plan to start Honeycrisp on Friday September 16 – perhaps Cortland and Macouns as well.

Looks like weather for the next few days is sunny – come pick while the apples are at their most plentiful.

Photo shows the chief donut maker making a successful trial run in the new kitchen.

Our 2022 season will open on Saturday September 3 with excellent Zestars and Ginger Golds – see attached pictures.  Zestars with a sweet tart spicy flavor are one of our favorite varieties – great for eating and baking –  we make all our pies with them and freeze them unbaked to enjoy over the winter.

The crop overall looks very good this year and the recent rains have helped the fruit gain more size.  Macintosh and Galas will start September 10 weekend with Honeycrisp and Cortlands the weekend following.  Looks like a big Honeycrisp crop this year.

Scott Thompson’s crew working on our barn addition has put in a huge full court press to get the restrooms and the donut kitchen done – picture today shows 7 trucks near the barn with several more on the other side of the barn.  The good news is that it is very likely that the bathrooms will be open – the not so good news is that the permit from the food safety inspector for the donut kitchen will happen next week at the earliest.  So no donuts this weekend – we hope to be able to have donuts September 10 weekend.

Looks like it will be cooler this weekend – help us pick the crop and come get some good Vermont apples.

We plan to open for the season on Saturday September 3.  Two inches of recent rain will help fruit continue to gain size.  As I said in last month’s post crop is never guaranteed until it is harvested, but it continues to look good.

Photos show some Crimson Crisp trees near the barn and the new small additions to the apple barn for a donut kitchen and two customer restrooms.  We think construction will be completed in time to make donuts.

BUT we have hit significant snags getting VT health department permit, Fire Marshal  approval, plumbing inspection and more.  The inspectors have ruled that we are a public building and must have  at least one ADA bathroom.  SO – we may or may not be able make donuts this fall – will post more info closer to harvest.

For added interest all three of our daughters will be here this weekend with their husbands and most of our grandchildren – Sylvia has procured enormous amounts of food – some meals will have ~ 20 people to feed.

Put us on your schedule for September & October – look forward to seeing you.

We have a pretty good crop of apples growing out there – photos show some Honeycrisp now up to almost two inches in size – also a nice view of 50 new Ginger Gold trees planted this Spring.   We have been busy mowing and replacing tree guards.

Weather  is very dry but the fruit is still sizing well.  Crop is never guaranteed until it is harvested, but we should have reasonable amounts of all varieties – Zestars, Honeycrisp and Macintosh all look good.

Work is underway to put an addition on the barn for donut making and have two customer restrooms located there.  Red House renovation project will move the house farther back on the lot and replace the old addition with a new one.  House will look very similar to before, but will have modern features like, insulation, central heat, good wiring etc.  Will not complete until 2023.

Look forward to seeing you soon!

Honeycrisp growing well

New Ginger Golds