new and old

Driving by the orchard these days, folks may see something in the distance, it's not just a forest of poles...we started a new adventure this spring: grapes!

We planted 550 vines, a few different varieties for wine and a couple for eating. We are super excited to be working with a new crop, a new challenge.

In the next 3 to 5 years, we hope to start harvesting our first fruits and pressing them for our first wines. Dad calls this acre the 'Glass of 2014'

We also have some hops growing for our Bunny #13, our OTS Wine made by fermenting hops with our apple cider.

They are a couple of years old, and we look forward to the time they reach the top of the poles.

We currently are growing willamette, nugget and cascade; and so far, the cascade hops seem to be doing the best.

And, or course, our old standby: apples. We took out a few hundred trees this winter and planted as many more. I believe we are now somewhere around 4200 trees, but i haven't counted yet this year to be sure.

Despite the inclement weather during bloom, the honeybees seem to have done what they do.

We will probably start picking apples in a few weeks. It's hard to believe that apple season is already upon us again.

This is a branch full of pristine apples.

A start to a countdown for fresh apples!

it's been a while

a year since our last addition to the blog; and, i am still unsure where and how to begin this post.

much has changed at the apple farm, yet so much has stayed the same...we began selling our first hard ciders and wines in early september; and, since then, have introduced many more. we currently are offering folks seven different wines and eleven different hard ciders.

we just put our blackraspberry honeywine on the shelves last week! and, we have more wine and cider on the way.changes weren't found just on the farm. we also had some new additions to the mcclure family; baby Auz was born last June, and this drone asked a little honeybee to be his queen.

unlike most queens, she didn't drive me away last winter!

with regard to the honeybees, they seem to be doing well this year. we lost seven hives over the winter, but added more colonies to the apiary to replace the lost hives and increase our honey production; though, it is shaping up to be a light year. for the first time, we have decided to try russian bees (over the more common italians).

though we have seen a few changes made to the orchard, some aspects of farm life will never change. like trying to keep Jon off of the
honeycrisp apples before they are ready to
be picked. he just gets so excited.

the apples that we saved from Jon, honeycrisp
and others, are doing well. we will start picking the lodi, pristine and zestar apples around the tenth of july.

that's it for now. hopefully, the next post will be before next year.

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...