APPLE Time!

I got four more 1/2 gallons of the wonderful cider from Jayne's Orchard this morning and now I'm set until next year. Just topped them off and, after they freeze, will re-cap and move them to the big freezer.  A friend generously took me to the orchard in the past and I got four 1/2 gallons then. Today a different friend took me there and she had a great time playing with the dogs. How could I not go for freshly picked and sorted apples? They are extra large this year! 

1/2 Peck Cortlands

1/2 Peck Macouns

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The link below is to the Orchard's Facebook page.

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Appletime!

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Unfortunately there were several of our favorite varieties that did not meet the orchard's standards for sales, and one of those is the Macoun! It was determined that all of the wet weather caused the non-production of these to be the cause. We'll have to wait until next year.

However, today we did pick up a peck of Cortlands for our daughter and 1/2 a peck for ourselves plus four half gallons of cider to top off and freeze. We have two left from last year so we'll probably only get six or eight more on the next trip out. 

Did you know how well cider freezes? There is absolutely NO loss of flavor or texture in this cider from the orchard. All I do is top off to the shoulder of the bottle, put the cap back on and put in the big freezer. I don't think it would stay as well in the refrigerator freezer as the temperature goes up and down in there.

Some applesauce is in our future, whenever I get in the mood! We're looking forward to another trip to the orchard. 

The peck was divided in half for easier carrying

Before topping and freezing

Out for a Ride, In with Foodstuffs

Today it was decided to not bake nor cook and just relax, maybe go for a ride through the countryside. Wouldn't you know we ended up at our favorite markets. Now this is not just a ride around a park. Out in the area where the orchard is located many interesting scenes exist, filled with animals and farmland. Yes, we stopped at the farm orchard and brought home another four half gallons of cider and ANOTHER peck of Macoun apples! They plan to stay open until just before Christmas because the production of all of the apples, among other crops was extremely good this year and there are plenty of really nice varieties available still to be sold.

Who couldn't pass the produce stand without stopping in? Not us!  It was also a lucky morning because the last of the sweet corn and broccoli were just brought in from the field. Even though the tomatoes still are producing, they are running low. The tomatoes are beautiful to look at, nicely sun ripened and we couldn't resist getting two more although they cannot match our favorite ones, the home-grown Oxhearts, for flavor, low acidity and meatiness. (I have saved seeds for next year.)  We couldn't buy more of anything as the freezer is almost full now.

On the road home we shot over to a little popular and very busy general store and gas station in a nearby village to buy a hoagie for lunch when we arrived back home. It was a nice day. I didn't cook, bake, or even make lunch! Fresh cider was our beverage of choice. How wonderful is that?

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To the Orchard We Went

It's that time of year and I'm excited to see the great apples on display. Of course there are also plums, grapes and other good things but it's the apples and the freshly made and bottled cider that I look forward to bringing home. The peaches and tart cherries are gone.  This is our first trip out and is about 24 miles each way. We used to not be able to go until returning from our beach place in SC each November, but times have changed. It is better to start early!

We bought 4 half gallons of cider, and a half bushel of Macouns today. There are currently seven varieties of apples available. Macouns are my favorite. (Back in the early 70's picking them from trees in another orchard was my first job when we first moved permanently in PA.) I freeze the cider after topping it down and we definitely plan to get more. It is soooooo delicious. I even have friends in NJ who want me to save them some, and I do. My yearly supply will last until next August! Yes, that is the truth. At the end I have to ration it so we don't run out before more containers fill the entire top shelf of the freezer again.

The orchard folk save "oddities" and this year, since we're early and the sorting continues in their back room, there will be more. We were told that the hail damaged many, leaving spots (dings) and holes, sometimes large. Another oddity I saw was one that is called a "bellybutton." Yes, and I know why. See?

The next trip out will be for more apples, cider and perhaps even pumpkins, squash and gourds. Piper and Murphy will greet us again. Lovely and friendly dogs! Jeannie and Roger and the entire staff are such friendly and nice people who bend over backwards to assist their visitors. We love Jayne's Orchard. I'll try to take more pictures the next time. 

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Good Work Ahead

I say this because the applesauce-making project here in this old cabin is done in an old-fashioned way and is actually a pleasurable activity for this old couple. Are you getting the gist of old?  The sink in which the apples are first washed is old. The knife with which the mister quarters the apples is old. The paring knife the missus used to dig out the core is old. We are all sharp. The kettle the apples are cooked down in is very old as is the wooden spoon. The Foley food mill is old and fits perfectly over an old large Pyrex bowl. We call it the "apple bowl." The sugar container is old. The ladle is very old and the only newbies are the containers for the finished product which is later placed into a new freezer in an old carport. The apples and the cider come from an old orchard that was planted over two generations ago.

I have already topped down the most flavorful cider in my world so we can have it through the winter. It has to be topped down as it will be frozen and the container needs to be compensated for expansion. It keeps perfectly fine and is always delicious and healthy. 

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The apples we are processing this year are Cortlands. And by the way, there is more cider in my refrigerator - FOR NOW!

"Th-Th-Th-Th-Th-... That's all, folks."

We went on our final trip to the orchard. I bought a bag of Stayman Winesaps. My dad would usually bring these home from the dairy farms where he tested and my mother and grandmother would use them mostly for apple pies. These are both tart and sweet and this apple variety has been popular since the days of the pioneers! They are known for their high quality and are a connoisseur's delight.

I took some pictures of the oddities of this year's crop at the orchard. There were more.

Jeannie is still finding chimeras in the Cortlands.

Roger was in the back making more cider for the weekend crowd. 

Apple pulp makes wonderful fertilizer when returned back to the orchard and is also used as food for cattle or livestock. 

But best of all - I came home with an old apple crate that this orchard purchased from another one when it shut down. I was an apple picker there in the early 1970's! Jeannie surprised me with this great gift!!!!!

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Jayne's

That is, Jayne's Orchard, our favorite place for cider and apples. I saw this article in our local newspaper and the description is so clear that I'm just documenting it here and telling it to you from a professional writer's view.

BY JEFF HORVATH from the Independentweekender,com  9/24/15
"Apples and apple cider are synonymous with fall, and as the weather cools down and the days start to shorten, both are abundant at Jaynes Orchard in West Auburn.

The sprawling property that houses the orchard has been in Roger and Jeannie Jayne’s family for over 130 years, and became an orchard when Roger’s grandfather planted his first apples trees more than two generations ago.

On Friday morning Roger was busy making apple cider, a staple of the orchard, which produces over 7,000 gallons of cider a year. While her husband was busy with the cider, Jeannie Jayne spoke of the philosophy they employ concerning their fruit.

“Everything is totally hand-picked and hand-sorted here,” she said. “And everything but the apples is sold right here.”

Jaynes Orchard does wholesale their apples at several local locations and stores. They grow and sell a wide variety of apples, including paula red, wealthy gala, golden supreme, jonamac, mcintosh, honeycrisp, cortland, macoun, red and yellow delicious, suncrisp empire, jonagold spy, spigold, mutsu idared, stayman winesap braeburn, and fuji apples.

You’d have to be a real apple afficianado to name all of those varieties, but the orchard also grows and sells a selection of other fruit, such as grapes, peaches, and sweet and tart cherries which guests can pick themselves. They also offer pumpkins and winter squash, which grow well in the fall.

“I love the family feel of our farm,” Jeannie continued. “We’ve been around for so long and have a loyal group of customers who are like a part of the family.”

They are starting to see a lot of their “family” around this time of year, which is the busiest time for the orchard. They sell hundreds of gallons of cider a week at the farm, as well as other seasonal fruits.

For Jeannie and Roger, the little things that come with day-to-day life on the farm are what make their job so rewarding.

“I love when I find an absolutely gorgeous piece of fruit,” Jeannie said, “or when you can see tiny cherries starting to form in the cherry blossoms. This farm is 100 percent of our lives, and it’s who we are.”

Jaynes Orchard has long been a popular field trip destination for Elk Lake second graders, who get to learn how an orchard runs while also getting an opportunity to pick their very own apples.

“The kids get to enjoy the fall colors and get to see how apples are grown, picked, sorted, and made into cider,” Jeannie said. “They also get to taste some of the cider and pick an apple for themselves off of one of our trees.”

One of the original trees that Roger Jayne’s grandfather planted when he started the orchard still remains on the farm, and field trip guests often take a festive fall picture in front of it. The other trees line different parts of the property, and are complimented by pastures filled with beef cattle that the family also raises.

“Sometimes I wish we could travel more in the fall,” Jeannie joked, “but I’ve been here since I was 19 and I can’t imagine doing anything else. Someone came around years ago offering to buy the place, but this is in our blood and we are here to stay.”

The orchard is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Sunday from 1-5 p.m. They are located on Jayne Road in West Auburn."

When we first came to live in Pennsylvania the first job I was able to get was picking apples in a local orchard. They were Macouns and have been our very favorites ever since. Yes, I climbed trees with a canvas bag and, yes, I was careful not to bruise them, and yes, it was hard work, and yes,  I got paid by the number of bushels picked. IT WAS VERY ENJOYABLE TO DO THIS!

I've gone to Jayne's once and will go again next week. My bin will need to be refilled after I make some applesauce. Look for apples in future posts!

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Link:

Jayne's Facebook Page