Come fill your baskets and picking pails!
Blackberries
Peaches
Red Raspberries
Plums
Blueberries
The first burnished leaves on a maple
tree - which I saw this morning - are
a hint that summer fades now slowly into autumn. On the farm this means
that harvest becomes even more important as
all must be gathered
soon!
Late August is a special time to pick on our farm. The sun slants low;
the colors are warm and vibrant; and the mix of ripe crops spells the
seemingly sudden change of season:
glistening inky black BLACKBERRIES,
the first PLUMS, golden PEACHES,
fall RED RASPBERRIES (the sweetest
of the year) and still the last pails of BLUEBERRIES to pick.
There is something timeless and thoughtful in the air as we sense
with each warm breeze summer's end.
Come picking!
ANTICIPATED PICKING
DATES FOR 2008
Asparagus: May 5th - May 15th
Rhubarb: May 1st -
June 15th
Strawberries: June 10th - 30th
Sweet Cherries: July 4th -
Aug. 1st
Sour Cherries: July 15th -
Aug. 10th
Blueberries: July 4th - Sept.
1st
Red Raspberries: July 5th - Oct.
10th
Purple Raspberries: July
Black Raspberries: July
Currants Red, White and Black:
July 5-August 5
Peaches-Yellow and White: mid
July - early Sept.
Blackberries: August
Plums: mid August through
mid-September
Apples: September-November 1
Fill your baskets to the brim with
Western
New York's signature fruit.
We offer many
varieties for picking
Pumpkins: the month of October
A Tradition Of Pick Your Own, From Our Home To Your
Table Over The Generations
We were greatly honored this winter past to
be asked to contribute a page for a fiftieth wedding anniversary book
for a family in Batavia who have made a tradition of an annual pick your
own apple day for four generations. We look forward to their arrival
each year - now in several vehicles. It is also traditional that
everyone in the family has a glass of our freshly pressed cider, chooses
a huge cookie from our collection , and picks a very special pumpkin to
take home.
Many families come several times a year,
remembering picking sweet cherries in 'Aunt Julia's orchard', or peaches
and apples at our 'home farm' where my father, Amy's grandfather,
offered tastes of huge ripe peaches and explained to our friends how to
recognize and pick ripe fruit. My mother, Amy's grandmother, loved to
give tours to guests to see newly hatched chickens, or to meet Rascal,
our pony who did tricks, or to see a new hybrid tea rose in her
collection and peek into our playhouse. The people who have been coming
to our farm for these many years have witnessed our changes. Nearly all
have identified their own special tress, or spots perfect for reading
reflecting or playing a game...
What has never changed over the years is
our excitement as a family about sharing our beloved farm with you. We
invite you to come and see for yourself!
Our Unique
Collection of Varieties
Our idea in each orchard or field is to
have available for your enjoyment fruits ripening early in the season,
mid season as well as late season, so we have several varieties of each
fruit.
The color and character of each season and
each fruit crop is just as interesting as apple season, but as an
example of how much fun we have with any given crop take a look at our
apple program at Hurd Orchards...
As an example we offer 50
+/- apple varieties ranging from heirloom Yellow Transparents ripening
about August 1st to new era Gold Rush at Halloween. Each variety has not
only a unique flavor, but individual characteristics making it best suited
for an appetizer tray, for apple sauce, or apple pie, or for lunch boxes.
We offer apple tastings at 1:00 and 3:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays in
September and October. We also offer chicken pie, honey oatmeal bread with
apple butter, apple pie ... Somehow the apples taste best when you've
picked them yourself right off the tree.
Pick Your Own Incentive Program
We are re-introducing our pick your
own incentive program, a fun way to fill your baskets, spend
time in the fresh country air, and take home two delicious jars of our handmade farm preserves! This is our way of saying thank you to the devoted and growing group of pick your own enthusiasts who are a part of our pick your own family.
Over the course of the growing
season - from mid May through mid October - if you pick at least
four quarts of each of eight different fruits and vegetables on our
farm we will let you choose two jars of your favorite jams, jellies or
vinegars!
We will give you a card to carry which will date each
time you visit. We will look forward to your visits beginning in
May. We'll gladly provide you with a basket for the season to
fill and refill, and refill!
