Reid Orchards: Many 'Apache' Thornless Blackberries Ripe

Many 'Apache' thornless blackberries are ripening now and for the next 2 weeks, and some 'Natchez' thornless blackberries are still ripening too. We open at 7:30 a.m., Monday to Saturday, for blackberry picking, and it's not too hot until about 10 a.m. Our fields do have a heavy dew each morning, so I wear waterproof boots until mid-morning. We're also open for blackberry picking every evening from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., but it's still quite hot most evenings.

Many 'Apache' thornless blackberries are ripening now until about Aug. 1.

Brady Wright picked 'Apache' thornless blackberries this morning with his grandpa Ken Jones (behind row), his mom & grandma. They started picking at 7:30 a.m. & got 12 quarts by 8:20 a.m.

We provide quart containers, and have customers fill them level-full. You'll bring the berries home in the quarts, set on cardboard trays, and we appreciate it if you bring us back the empty quarts and cardboard trays on your next visit to Reid Orchards.

Some customers bring their own trays (metal, cardboard or plastic) to set the berry quarts on, and we appreciate that very much! Do NOT bring bowls to dump the berries into, as that could bruise them, and we want the berries to stay in the quarts they're picked into until you get them home and use them.

'Contender' peach harvest is almost done now. I hope to pick the last of them this evening. Two more peach varieties will ripen after 'Contender', until about Aug. 8. Each variety ripens over a 10 to 14 day period, so we have a succession of peach varieties ripening. #1 peaches with no damage sell for $1.58 per pound + sales tax, and #2 peaches sell for $1.28 per pound + sales tax.

If you want to get some peaches, phone 620-597-2450 a day or so ahead. If you call in late afternoons while I'm in the house, I answer the phone. If you call during our open hours (see left sidebar), you'll get our answering machine, so leave a message with your name, day and time you'll come (during our Summer Open Hours), and what you want to buy. You must state your phone number with area code clearly, so I can call you back.

We still have many harvested #1 and #2 'Gold Rush' apples for sale, and many #2 'Enterprise' apples. We'll have harvested apples for sale until late July or early Aug. However, many people have bought apples lately, and it takes time for me to sort and pack more in early afternoons, so call ahead to order them if you want more than a few pounds.

We still have many harvested #1 and #2 'Gold Rush' apples for sale, just call ahead to order them if you want a 20-pound box like this one.

Harvested apples sell for $1.48 per pound + sales tax for #1 fruit with no damage. I sort and pack apples into bags in boxes that I weigh to 20 pounds, so if you get a 20-pound box of #1 apples you save $1.00. We also have some nice #2 fruit, with some surface scarring but no internal damage, that sells for just $1.18 per pound + sales tax.

Until about July 25, we still have harvested, cracked pecans for sale. My husband Bill cracked and bagged all remaining pecans over a month ago, and we now have 48 bags left to sell, stored in refrigerators. Once we sell out, we won't have more pecans until the new crop starts in mid-Nov., so get some soon if you'll want them before Nov. 15. These pecan selections, from Bill's pecan breeding program, have large nuts, thin shells and great taste, and I give taste samples.

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.

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 fruit and/or pecans you want to buy. Thanks.