Farm Update Archive
October 31, 2008 |
September 26, 2008 September 19, 2008 September 11, 2008 September 02, 2008 |
2007--08 Season Farm Updates
2006--07 Season Farm Updates
October 31, 2008 Trick or treat! Seems like we're hearing those words a lot this week! Just to let you know... we're not trying to trick you when we move to our indoor salesroom on cold, windy or wet days and then back outside when the weather in nicer. You can shop in comfort regardless of what Mother Nature is doing. Speaking of tricks, we'd like you to know that even though other things have been downsized, a pound of apples is still a full 16 ounces here! We are still waiting to harvest two varieties of apples. They are one of the sweetest (Fuji) and one of the most tart (Granny Smith). Macouns are still tasty and we also have Braeburn, Liberty, Redcort, Empire, Gala, Cortland, Macintosh, Jonagold, Red Delicious and Golden Delicious plus the heirloom apples mentioned below. This weekend there's a treat in store for anyone who likes old apple varieties. We'll be having an informal....OK everything here is pretty informal...tasting of several antique apples. You can try Baldwin, Northern Spy, Stayman, Winesap, Yellow Newton, Roxbury Russet and Golden Russet. These apples have been known for over 100 years and are not easily found in modern orchards. We became involved with them when we decided to enrich our cider by adding their distinctive taste. So, take a break and come out to the farm..... Hope to see you soon, |
October 24, 2008 It's time for the heirloom apples to shine in the spotlight. These antique varieties have been known for over 100 years and are hard to find. We became interested in them when we wanted to enrich our cider by adding their unique tastes. All of the heirloom trees we have were created when we grafted branches obtained from old trees in several orchards.This week-end we will begin selling Northern Spy, Baldwin, Roxbury Russet, Winesap and Golden Russet. The shipping boxes have arrived so that you can send apples to friends and relatives in other parts of the country, giving them a taste treat. Need a business thank you? Think about sending apples for a healthy and welcome gift. More and more people are asking for no sugar apple pies and crisps These are made by special order. We began picking Braeburns this week. Other varieties available now are Macoun, Gala, Liberty, Redcort, Jonagold, Empire, Cortland, Macintosh, Red Delicious and Golden Delicious. Just a reminder, we have a calendar on the home page of our website www.applebrookfarm.com. Please consult that for hours for sales or you can always call us at 860 654-1590 for updated information. We've just made Pressing #4 of Grampa Tony's cider which contains 20 varieties of apples! Our cider is not pasteurized. Hope to see you at the farm soon, |
October 10, 2008 This week's update is being written very late in the week. We apologize but we have been very busy taking care of lots of customers who have been coming out to the farm and taking up all of our time! They keep buying apples, cider, cider donuts, fudge, honey, pumpkins...........We're just about able to keep with their wants and wishes. Just a reminder, the Art Show is this Sat and Sun from 11 - 5 and next week-end the 18th and 19th. We are displaying the original art work of Nancy Masters. Cards and prints (framed and unframed) will be for sale. Stop by to see truly "local" and top quality art work. We usually are closed on Mondays but we will be open on Monday, the 13th, Columbus Day from 11 - 6. Luann has made her first batch of Chunky Apple Slices for this season. They are canned in quart jars and make a great gift--starting with yourself! Hope to see you at the farm soon, PS Apple varieties available now are Macoun, Gala, Liberty, Empire, Redcort, Macontosh, Cortland, Red Delicious...more varieties soon.... |
October 03, 2008 OK, Cider Fans, we made our first pressing of the season today! There are 14 varieties of apples squeezed in it to make a deep, rich flavor. New apple varieties harvested this week are Empire and Red Delicious. In addition we have Macoun, Honeycrisp, Gala, Liberty, Redcort, Wolf River, Macintosh and Cortland. The harvest is just about at the midpoint with half of the varieties left to pick. We know that sometimes the amount of varieties that we have on display can be overwhelming. Please know that we are glad to cut sample slices of anything you might want to try. Our pumpkin crop has developed very well this year. If you are looking for large pumpkins to carve, we have a category called "Biggies" grown from Big Rock seed. They are priced at $7.00. In addition we have smaller Tom Fox orange pumpkins and lots of Valenciano white ones. Another interesting variety is our Cinderella pumpkins. They are a soft, almost melon shade...nice for a more subtle look. Although, come to think of it, there's nothing really subtle about Halloween decorations! Just a reminder that the Art Show will be Sat & Sun October 11-12 and 18-19. Hours are 11 - 5. Stop by to see the original art work of Nancy Masters. In addition to the paintings, prints and cards of her work will be available for sale. Hope to see you at the farm soon, |
September 26, 2008 It's raining, it's pouring, three days of rain are predicted. What's a person to do? In case you don't know, when it rains we move our apple display into our winter salesroom so you can shop comfortably. Apple varieties available now are Macoun, Honeycrisp, Gala, Liberty, Ginger Gold, Wolf River, Redcort, Macintosh, Jonathan and Cortland. We have scheduled a tasting event for this week-end which will go on as planned. You can try Luann's baked goods(including some new items), fudge, cider donuts, honey or any variety of apple. That could make dodging the raindrops more appealing during this soggy time. We have been besieged with requests about when we will start pressing cider. Please be patient....looks like around October 3 will be the first pressing day. Forgot when we are open? Wed - Fri 11-6, Sat and Sun 11-5. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays, however we will be open on Columbus Day which is a special Monday for us. We have a calendar on our website (www.applebrookfarm.com) which has that info. So, stay dry, stop by, try pie......... Hope to see you at the farm soon, |
September 19, 2008 Sometimes life here at the farm during the harvest season is like a three ring circus. We're picking, sorting, welcoming back customers, seeing how the kids have grown since last winter, meeting new people.....you get the picture. This week varieties will come tumbling out of the orchard like those clowns that keep climbing out of the little cars haphazardly careening around the edges of the center ring. Varieties available now are Honeycrisp, Gala, Ginger Gold, Wolf River, Redcort, Macintosh and Cortland. We have many more varieties to harvest. Of course the first question is when will the Macouns be ready? We have been taste testing them and they're almost here......There will be a Macoun bulletin as soon as they are available. We started picking Cortlands this week and will have Liberty for the week-end. Re cider: We plan to start pressing cider around October 1. Hours for Sales: Wed - Fri 11-6, Sat & Sun 11-5, closed Mon and Tues. Next week-end is our "It's All About Taste" event. We will be tasting just about everything we sell, so plan to come out to try different apple varieties, samples of Luann's baked goods (including breads), cider donuts, fudge................... Hope to see you at the farm soon, |
September 11, 2008 The big news this week is that we began picking Honeycrisp today. They are absolutely beautiful, full of flavor and juicy! Other apple varieties available are Gala, Macintosh, Ginger Gold, Jonamac and Gravenstein. It's been a wonderful growing season so far....no blossoms freezing, great pollination by our rented bees, no hail, plentiful raindrops and brilliant sunny days. One question we keep hearing is "When will you have Gramps Tony's cider?" We need to have at least 12 varieties to even begin to think about pressing, so there are a few weeks to go before we can make the full flavored cider that people love. We are open for sales Wed - Fri 11 - 6, Sat & Sun 11 - 5 and closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. We will be open on Columbus Day. Have you had a chance to visit our website www.applebrookfarm.com? There's a Save the Date section which might have events of interest to you. The first big event is our "It's All About Taste" Days which will be Sept. 27 and 28. We'll be sampling lots of our specialty foods (cider donuts, fudge, Luann's pies and crisps). Also, we'll be trying out a few new items which we may consider stocking if enough people like them. Hope to se you at the farm soon, |
September 2, 2008 Walking through the orchard wondering at the reappearance of ripening apples all around us, we know it's time for you to come back to the farm! So far we have had a good growing season with plenty of rain. It looks like a good crop for this year. We're opening for the season this Saturday, Sept. 6. Hours for sales are Mon - Fri 11 - 6, Sat & Sun 11 - 5....closed Mondays and Tuesdays (open Columbus Day). To start the season we'll have Ginger Gold, Gala, Jonamac, Summer Rambeau, Macintosh and Gravenstein with other varieties not far behind. We're just beginning to pick our late season blueberries--those little anti-oxidants which are so tasty and good for you. Cider donuts are freshly made on Saturdays and Sundays and sold frozen during the week. When will we begin pressing Grampa Tony's cider? It looks like the last week of September at the earliest. Luann is making apple pies and crisps which we'll be selling frozen unbaked as usual. Hope to see you at the farm soon, |
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