Late August Fruit Roundup

Betsy and I just completed a lap of the orchard and I felt I better report.  Red Havens are taking their time getting ripe. We will start on Monday or Tuesday.  We are hearing from a lot of people who want to u-pick this weekend and they can get some nice peaches but let me caution you. Red Havens are only freestone when they are ripe.  Stone fruit softens after it is picked but it does not add sugar. Every year we have customers who return peaches that “won’t come off the pit”. Every year is different and some years the peaches are clingy, but if we wait and let them ripen and sweeten they usually will come off the pit nicely.

The nectarines are not freestone and cling to the pit and we are starting them right now. I eat a lot of nectarines! Betsy wanted to pick them but I wanted to let them hang 2 more days to add sugar. Betsy pointed out that we have a hard time interesting a fruit stand customer with a dented nectarine. So I am advising blog readers that dented nectarines are just about the sweetest fruit we have and you will definitely want a napkin ready if you bite into one.

We have had a big apricot season.  There are still some for upick but it is rapidly winding down. Frank, Megan, and Jimmy took a load to the Benton Harbor market where the sales start at 5.45 am and are fast and furious for an hour or so.  Big Jim and Jack took a load to the Detroit Eastern Market too. That sale starts at Midnight and lasts until 6.00 am.

The early season raspberries are about done and the late season ones will be rolling in over the next several weeks. The late ones are larger and it is easy to fill the containers. We should have good picking this weekend unless there is a big run on the raspberries.

Stanley prune plums and Bartlett pears will be ready in September. We have a very nice apple crop and Ginger Golds are 1-2 weeks away.

Oops I almost forgot that our own sweet corn is in the market and I am pretty happy with it. Remember it was very dry during July but we have pretty good tip fill and great flavor.

That’s all for now

John