Open Labor Day, Fall Hours Start Sept. 1

   Our 'Blake's Pride' European pear trees are heavily loaded this year, and we have many for sale now.  We've harvested over 600 pounds of 'Blake's Pride' pears already, and will harvest another 2400 pounds or more over the next 3 weeks. 'Blake's Pride' pears have a very smooth, buttery texture and exceptional flavor, and are great for canning and cooking as well as fresh eating. 

Our 'Blake's Pride' pear trees are loaded this year, and we have many harvested pears for sale.

   I finished picking 'Sunrise' pears, our earliest-ripening European pear variety, on Aug. 26, and we still have about 150 pounds of this variety for sale.  'Sunrise' produces very large pears, about a half pound each on average, with some pears weighing over a pound each.  'Sunrise' pears have a smooth texture and sweet flavor, and are also great for canning and cooking as well as fresh eating.

   Our other pear varieties, 'Shinko' Asian pears and 'Harrow Sweet' and 'Shenandoah' European pears, ripen in succession during Sept. and Oct.  We'll have some 'Shinko' Asian pears for sale starting about Sept. 8 and continuing until early Nov. or so.

   We harvest all tree-ripe pears each morning and evening, and keep them in our cooler, which keeps pears in top condition for 2 to 3 months.  Harvested pears sell for $1.48 per pound + sales tax for #1 fruit with no damage.  We harvest directly into bags in boxes that I weigh to 20 pounds, so if you get a 20-pound box of #1 pears you save $1.00.  We also pick some nice #2 fruit, with some surface scarring but no internal damage, that sells for just $1.18 per pound + sales tax, and often sells very quickly.

'Blake's Pride' pears have a very smooth texture and wonderful flavor, and these 20-pound boxes are very popular for fresh eating, canning & cooking.

   We do not allow customers to harvest pears, as they're tricky to pick at the right stage, and we harvest many pears from ladders, which we don't ever allow customers to use.  I also harvest all selections from my apple breeding program, and have small amounts of some apple varieties for sale now, for the same price as harvested pears.  I give taste samples of all fruits and pecans available when customers come, for those interested in buying them.

'Ruby Sun', a selection from my apple breeding program, has just started ripening and I have a good amount harvested. 

   Our pick-your-own apple season, and main apple season, goes from mid-late Sept. until early Nov., as shown at left under Crop Sales Seasons.  That also tells which crops we sell harvested, and which crops we sell pick-your-own.

   We still have many cracked pecans for sale now until late Sept., and many people have bought some lately.  Pecan harvest doesn't start until early Nov., and we start selling our new pecan crop in mid-Nov. Each year, many people come during our main apple season in Oct. and early Nov. and want pecans, but we don't have pecans for sale then.  If you'll want pecans before about Nov. 12, come get some in Aug. or Sept.  Pecans keep in top condition in your freezer for at least 6 years.

    We sell cracked pecans in 4-pound bags, which are over 75% pecan kernels and under 25% shell fragments.  Each bag has the equivalent of 6 pounds of in-shell pecans, and when you pick out the kernels, you get 3 pounds or more of nutmeats.  Each bag costs $19.70 + sales tax.  

   We're still open our summer hours, as shown in the sidebar at left, until Aug. 31, but I'm very busy picking pears in the early morning, so don't arrive here before about 9 a.m.  If I'm not in the sales building when you arrive, ring the bell VERY loudly so I can hear it.  (If I am in the sales building, please do NOT ring the bell.  Thanks.)

I made a new sign so customers will ring the bell LOUDLY so I can hear it when I'm harvesting fruit at the back of the orchard. 

   We are open Labor Day, Sept. 1, and our fall open hours begin that day.  As shown in the sidebar at left, from Sept. 1 to Dec. 15 we're open from 10 a.m. to 12 noon and from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays, and just 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Sundays.  We're closed Sunday mornings for church (as we are year-round) and closed from noon to 1:30 p.m. each day so I can take a lunch break.

Our Fall Open Hours start Sept. 1, Labor Day this year, and go until Dec. 15.

   As always, we take cash or checks for payment, but NO credit cards or debit cards, and no phone "apps".  We don't use a smart phone, and have no phone line to the sales building.  So please bring your checkbook or enough cash to cover the amount of produce you want to buy.  Thanks.