You can tell it's harvest season in our neck of the woods, when you start seeing truck after truck full of apple harvest bins being delivered to the local orchards. There’s definitely a calm before the storm vibe to our days right now, as we start gearing up for our first harvests of the season.
Here at the farm we’ve discovered that there actually are at least three distinct varieties of mature wild/perry pear trees in the old wild orchard.
One is definitely more Bosc like, juicy with a red blush to it. It’s got strong hard tannins, crisp flesh, nutty flavor and finishes with a spicy bite. Another is more Bartlett like, with softer tannins, a sweet green pear aroma, juicy with brown specks. The third is a little golden gem, with smooth brown russeted skin, and a sweet crisp juicy flesh, not unlike an Asian pear but smaller and with soft round tannins.
We’re starting our Lost Orchard pick in the Miller street orchard, as it has some earlier season varieties. We’ll start with the Empire, Cortland and Macintosh, and finish in a few weeks once the Golden Russet and Northern Spies are ripe.
We’re so thankful for the wonderful crew of friends, family and volunteers who are crazy enough to enjoy this as much as we do!
If you fancy spending an afternoon or two with us next season, be sure to drop us a line at the bottom of the page here.