Spring is so Very Delicious

I wish you could have seen Jason and me wandering through the strawberry patch as the strawberries first started to ripen. The mostly white-green berries with just a little red blush tint were taunting us and we searched in frustration for the first ripe berry of spring. Well... the moments dragged on and the disappointment crept in... until we found that one beautiful red berry. Well it's pretty funny trying to share one strawberry that's less than the size of a quarter-but we did. And now... a few days later we're sharing hat-fuls of beautiful red berries!

Hooray for Spring and all the delicious treats it brings with it! Rhubarb season has been upon us for a few weeks now and we just can't seem to get enough strawberry-rhubarb treats. I've baked pie, crisp, crunch and they never last long enough. Great-grandma's rhubarb recipes have stood the test of time and our luck restaurant patrons have been enjoying the amazing fruits of spring.

One of my favorite days of the week is when Jason checks on the bees; it means tasty samples for me. Sometimes the bees start building honeycomb inside the hive box in inconvenient places (inconvenient for us not them) and that honeycomb needs to be removed. You'd be hard pressed to find something sweeter than fresh honey. And for those of you who put stock in herbal remedies; its good for building up tolerance against those nasty spring-time allergies. Yay!

looks like a little more rain...

another day inside, but instead of looking at equipment or painting signs, i thought a couple of words and a few pictures would be a pleasant interruption to the wet outdoors.
a couple of days ago, in between the spring showers, we were able to catch a little sun and take a few pictures of some happenings around the place.
the bees were ecstatic to leave the hive for a quick flight around the farm. this is just a handful of some returning in the evening.










the hives seem quiet from the outside, but inside, they are bustling with activity. i wish you
were able to hear what this picture sounds like. the bees seem to be doing pretty well this year despite the crazy spring weather.
in less than a month, the hive has more than doubled in size, and, soon, we will be adding supers. hooray for honey!

even though the bloom was early and the hives young, the trees seem to be loaded with apples this year. thank you honey bees. we passed this little cluster of baby apples on the way to the garden.
the garden has expanded in size and by quantity of delectable treats this year. we started picking spinach, radishes and onions a couple of weeks ago. the hops are about six inches tall and the blueberries are flowering.
we are excited about getting some squash, pumpkins and gourds in the ground after it dries.
i think we are interested in setting up a co-op for either plants and/or produce next year; so, let us know if you have any ideas and/or interest.
the crazy, purple puffball of a flower belongs to one of our chives. the potatoes are starting to get little buds, which reminds me that we need sweet potatoes. the snow peas are looking for something to hold. i'm ready for more fresh veggies!

Happy Earth Day Everyone!

Its what's on the inside that counts.

Tulips have long been one of my favorite flowers. Maybe because they are a sure sign of warmer weather...or maybe it's the vibrant colors...or because they remind me of Holland(Michigan that is). I'm not sure, but I do know that I was really enjoying them yesterday.

Tell me how amazing this is!

I am in absolute awe of this photo.
I try and try to get good photos of the bees doing their spectacular bee work...but I just never get enough detail.
I did not take this photo. I just can't take any credit for it. Jason did it all. He got up close and personal with the camera and a blooming apple tree full of bees.
Just look at this little lady bee with her haunches full of pollen. Its just so sweet!
This photo is dedicated to all the busy bees out there; human, and well, bee too of course.

Spring is in full swing this week at the orchard and I have so many more images to share. So, until next time...

It was 50*F and Sunny Today

I don't trust March very much. Sure, it's so warm and sunny out today...but tomorrow...you never know when we'll be back in the winter wonderland. For today-snow is gone-so enjoy!

Cold but Beautiful

I'm cold; my toes are cold, my typing fingers are cold, my nose has a cold drip...you didn't want to know that did you?
My two layers of pants, 3 shirts and wool socks are not making me feel warm and toasty. But honestly, I can't complain. Its just too beautiful. Too beautiful.

This is one of 100+ photos I took out in the cold. The frost coating the world was too spectacular for me to express with words, so I just snapped photo after photo. I took pictures until my fingers couldn't depress the photo button any longer.
I'm only sharing one today, I'll dole them out slowly so that we all remember that winter is not just about being cold(continuously cold), but also about enjoying the striking beauty.

Unexpected Guest

The other day Jason called me on my cell,
"C'mer, you've got to see this."
"What? What's happening?"
"Just come to the animal barn...and bring your camera."
"But I'm in the middle of something."
"No, just hurry or you'll miss it."

Well, whatever it was I knew I didn't want to miss out on a fun photo, so I ran from the restaurant up to the house and then down to the animal barn (with no coat on!) wondering what silly antics Jason's goats were up to that I just had to see.

I bounced in through the front door and Jason just said, "Look up."
Which I did, and he asked, "Have you ever seen one so close before?"

I have never seen a Red Tailed Hawk in such close quarters before and he was both beautiful and terrifying...and trapped. We don't know which stall he used to fly into the animal barn, but he didn't seem to remember how to get out of the small doors. We could see that he had an injured foot and was agitated, but we really had no idea how to help him. all we could do was(after a few photos) open all the doors wide and wait.
Well I got cold waiting (without my coat!) So with one backwards glance at our regal hawk-friend (and his amazing talons) I trotted back to the restaurant hopping he would find his way out on his own. Jason told me that he flew away about 20minutes later, but not before grabbing a nearby pigeon to take with him. Funny, some days the circle of life is close like that.

An appealing bunny

Ever wonder what happens to all the apple peels from all the apples that we peel to make applesauce, pies and dumplin's? Well, all of our little friends out in the animal barn love snacking on apple peels! Its a tasty and nutritious treat for our four-legged friends...even the chickens and turkeys gobble up the peels and cores. Here's one of our favorite little bunnies enjoying his share of peels.

Would you buy this beverage?

If you read this charming little blurb on the back of a custom brew, would you buy it or put it back on the shelf? Is there anything that you would change or add? This pharagraph will be representing us on our cider labels until the end of time(or whenever we deem it necessary to update them). Thanks!


McClure’s Orchard Cider

This handcrafted cider is proudly produced in small batches with apples grown and pressed on site at McClure’s Orchard. Our family-owned and operated apple farm is found somewhere between then and now, a little bit of old-fashioned hard work and tough love teamed up with some new-fangled horsepower and innovation to bring you this delightful drink. It’s a place where the fruits are ripened in the sun on the trees and picked by hand. If we can’t grow it, we find it from local farmers, folks like us. This beverage has been bottled with love at McClure’s Orchard located in Peru, Indiana, 46970.
www.mccluresorchard.com

Living the dream and bottling some for you.
Jason McClure


CONTAINS SULFITES



McClure’s Orchard Wine

This handcrafted wine is proudly produced in small batches with fruits and berries grown and pressed on site at McClure’s Orchard. Our family-owned and operated apple farm is found somewhere between then and now, a little bit of old-fashioned hard work and tough love teamed up with some new-fangled horsepower and innovation to bring you this delightful beverage. It’s a place where the fruits are ripened in the sun and picked by hand, and the bees still fly creating sweet honey from apple blossoms and wildflowers. If we can’t grow it, we find it from local farmers, folks like us. This beverage has been bottled with love at McClure’s Orchard located in Peru, Indiana, 46970.
www.mccluresorchard.com

Living the dream and bottling some for you.
Jason McClure (signature)

CONTAINS SULFITES

Cider: with a twist

Shall we let the cat out of the bag?

If you haven’t heard yet we now have our Farm Winery Permit. (BIG HOORAY) This means we can start making hard cider…in big batches. This is what the first 1,000 gallons looks like.

Is it the full moon in the enchanted night sky?

No no no. This is what a clean clean clean 85 gallon stainless tank looks like; or at least one that’s in the process of getting super clean.

Here come those first drops rushing into the tank! Isn’t she beautiful?

Well,the bad news is that now we're in the waiting game. But if you're patient too there will be amazing beverages in our future. June is only a few months away and then its time for tasting!

photos courtesy of Jon S.

Cider Pressing Day

I’m not sure how many gallons of cider we press during the year…or how many gallons of cider I drink during the year…but it’s a few. We recently did our last press of the season and we have squirreled away gallons and gallons of cider in our freezer to keep us well stocked until next season. We also have another important reason to press cider-but I’ll keep you in suspense on that until the next post.

The old adage is that you never make cider without the Winesaps. And if you’ve never tasted a Winesap I recommend getting a sample next fall, tart and tasty!

Ever wonder what we do with all those little bitty apples that you could eat in just two bites? Well, every little apple counts in cider making and this little one is going in!

These lucky apples are on their way to be sorted and washed. I wonder which one is going to end up in my cider glass…and which one will be in yours.

We like our cider unpasteurized so we wash our apples twice to keep out unwanted leaf bits and all those ladybugs look-alikes.

It was a successful day and we got our cider finished and may I say,

“Dee-licious!”

winter white

You might think that an apple orchard is pretty quiet during the winter months... a long sleepy afternoon blanketed in white...  

Well, that's not exactly how it is.

Honestly, sometimes it is quiet; 

the donkeys are a bit shy about going out to romp in the snow and cold.

However, 

the brave little kitten, Pumpkin Pie, 

came out to blaze a trail through the snow.


Even the ducks seemed to be enjoying themselves once the sun came out.

But I couldn't spend my whole day wandering around enjoying the view... 

there was work to be done. 

We have to prepare to press the cider!

Welcome to the orchard!

Photo courtesy of Meghan Jean