Orchard Talk

Jim and Rose, 2010 National Cherry Queen Maria LaCross, John and Betsy

Here we are receiving from the National Cherry Festival the 2011 Very Cherry Promotion Award! We are very proud to of this! Thank You!

Excerpt by Richard Lehnert of Good Fruit Grower Magazine:

The National Cherry Festival Committee gave two awards during cherry industry meetings in Traverse City this week.

The Very Cherry Promotion Award went to John and Betsy King and Jim and Rose King, who grow fruit, operate two farm markets, and run a successful Internet business in which innovative tart cherry products play a big part. King Orchards, Central Lake, Michigan, sells such products as dried cherries, cherry juice concentrate, and Balaton cherry salsa, as well as more conventional products such as pie fillings. They avidly promote the health benefits of tart cherries.

Tags: cherry promotion, cherry queen, market, Our Websites

Tart cherry juice has been making news headlines lately, as more studies are finding that cherry juice can help speed post-exercise recovery.  Last month,  Dave and I hit the road and headed south to represent King Orchards at the ING Georgia Marathon Health & Fitness Expo. This was an excellent opportunity for us to talk about tart cherries, and to introduce people to the great taste and wonderful nutritional qualities of King Orchards tart cherry juice concentrate.

The Health and Fitness Expo was held at the Georgia Dome the two days prior to the marathon. Race participants had to come through and pick up their numbers and race packets. It was free and open to the public, so there was a steady stream of runners, supporters, families, and members of the general public coming and going throughout the two-day event.

We had chilled cherry juice, and plenty of dried cherry samples for everyone to try. We also had several quarts of King Orchards Cherry Juice Concentrate, as well as 1 pound bags of dried tart cherries, and Red Recovery combo packs available for purchase.

We talked to thousands of people about Montmorency tart cherries and their unique nutrient profile. I think the best part was being able to share samples of our products and get so much great feedback.  Several people proclaimed, “These are the best dried cherries I’ve ever had!”

One of the nice things about being in the company of athletes and the fitness-interested is that everyone was happy to know there are no additives, no colorings, and no added sugars or sweeteners in our tart cherry juice.

Sometime it would be fun to do candid pictures or video of people’s reactions to their first taste of tart cherry juice.  Many are surprised to find the cherry juice is tart but not bitter, and describe it as sweeter and more refreshing than they imagine. We also see plenty of puckers, raised eyebrows, and exclamations of “Whoo! That’s tart!”

Our “Good for You” poster, designed by Kalmar Designs.  Doesn’t she look naturally fit & healthy as a result of regular exercise and a healthy diet which includes plenty of tart cherry juice and dried cherries?

Dave, my helper and honorary Cherry Ambassador, assisted folks with the cherry juice dispenser.  Dave was indispensable during this whole trip, providing the muscle to my madness. That was hard work, loading,  unloading and carting around cases of cherry juice, dried cherries, equipment and supplies.  Good thing he drank plenty of tart cherry juice!

Come to think of it, we both drank a lot of cherry juice over the course of  the weekend, and despite working and being on our feet for 12 hour stretches, we felt remarkably good and not too sore to go out exploring a little bit of Atlanta in the evenings.  That’s food for another blog, but I will say this: If  loving hot donuts and The Varsity chili dogs and onion rings is wrong, I simply can’t be right all the time.

We were so busy both days that we didn’t get to explore all the other vendors’ booths, but we did meet some great folks in our vicinity. We were across from All3Sports (we are seriously thinking about springing for the compression socks they sell for hiking and camping), next to the Children’s Tumor Foundation (Dedicated to improving the health and well being of individuals and families affected by the neurofibromatosis), and down the lane from The Arthritis Foundation Joints in Motion Team (they train folks to run and walk marathons, and raise funds and awareness on behalf of the Arthritis Foundation to fight arthritis), Women’s Running Magazine, and Sweaty Bands (who says you can’t be stylish as you sweat?).  Everyone was incredibly friendly and enthusiastic about their work and how it promotes well-being, health and fitness.

Kudos to all the marathon participants, and thanks to all who stopped by our booth. We had a great time meeting everyone, and were thrilled to see so many people with roots and family in Michigan.  A special thank you to Marie Spano, MS, RD/LD, FISSN, CSCS, who was kind enough to mention King Orchards tart cherry juice during her presentation at the Runners Lounge.

Cheers!
Patty

Tags: dried cherries, marathons, muscle recovery, Our Websites, tart cherry juice

Rose and Betsy’s top tips for apple buying and storing:

• Be adventurous! Don’t be afraid to experiment. You have nothing to lose but boredom. Try some new varieties. You may not like them all, but you are sure to make some new discoveries that will become life-long favorites.
• Keep it cool! Apples continue to ripen after they have been picked. Keeping them cool retards this process. Best way to store is in the refrigerator, but a cool well pit or basement will work sufficiently.
• Keep those slices nice: A little fresh lemon juice sprinkled on apple slices will help keep them from browning.
• Are they done yet? To check for ripeness, cut one apple open.  When the seeds are dark and brownish-colored, the apples are ripe.
• Handle with care: Gentle handling will prevent bruising

Handy guidelines for determining how many apples you need:

• 1 pound equals approximately 3 medium apples, or 2 cups sliced.
• 3 pounds equal approximately 8 to 9 medium apples, or one 9-inch pie.
• 1 peck equals approximately 10 to 12 pounds, or 20 medium apples . Makes 3 or 4 9 inch pies, 7 to 9 quarts frozen or 4 quarts canned.
• 1 bushel equals approximately 42 to 48 pounds, or 126 medium apples. Makes about fifteen 9 inch pies, or 30 to 36 pints frozen.

Tags: apple browning, apple selection, Apples, caring for apples, how to store apples, michigan apples, Our Websites

We are loading up the tables for the cherry festival right now. We will be at the open space in Traverse City Fri noon until 10 pm. The hours July 5- July 12 are 10 to 10. Our markets are op[en all holiday week-end with strawberries and pies. The sweet cherries are not cooperating and look as though they will not be ripe until July 6 or 7 and u-pick to start around July 8 to 10. We do have sweet cherries on the trees and the season will last about 3 weeks if it stays dry. The rain splits the cherries and shortens the crop. Tart cherries or sour pie cherries are very short and will be hard to schedule u-pick. I’m not saying we wont have it but I haven’t seen the light on how to manage the u-pick. I do plan to pit fresh tart cherries and put them into my tubs and 10 lb bags. Just keep an eye out and we will see how it goes. Apricots and peaches look great. Happy 4th!!!!!

Tags: cherry festival, michigan cherries, Our Websites, sweet cherries

It’s been raining so much lately! In the past 40 days, we’ve had rain on 24 of them. Hopefully it dries up soon, because the rain can cause the cherries to split. All of our gardens are staked out and planted, so the rain will be good for just a few more days. Guess what happens tomorrow? Strawberries are finally in the market! They were even later than we thought, but now they’re coming for sure. And next week, the Cherry Festival starts in Traverse City on the 4th of July! We have a little more work to do before we’re ready, but things are coming together. That’s about all that’s happening this week…bye for now!

Tags: Cherries, cherry festival, Our Websites, strawberries, traverse city