My container garden may not produce enough to do more than supplement dinner, but that is no reason not to can. I decided I wanted to do some canning so I called my sister and we headed out to Morgan Orchard in Monroe County.
Saturday felt more like autumn than mid-summer. I picked up my sister around 8:00 and we started out on our two hour drive to the pick-your-own orchard.
I saw a news story on our local television station Friday morning. The story highlighted the orchard as a great seasonal opportunity for the family. “I want to do that,” I said to myself. I began looking up the orchard and directions online.
The weatherman predicted a chance of afternoon showers for Saturday. I figured the earlier in the day I could arrive, the better the chance of picking what I wanted before the rains. The sun was shining, the clouds were light and puffy, and the sky a crisp, fog-free blue. Had I not checked first, I would never have known there would be rain at all.
The orchard was relatively easy to find. The last turn was not well marked. I knew when we reached Route 3 we drove past it, so I turned around.
The orchard was well designed. rows of trees and shrubs welcomed you along the one lane dirt road. The store, squarely set on the horizon, serves as both the self-harvester’s point of service, and the processing plant for the business.
We parked near the front and walked in to find instruction on the harvesting. Not worried about appearing inept, I told the cashier I wanted to start with blackberries, but wasn’t sure what after that. We each picked up four one-quart containers and set out to the blackberry vines.
Marlena worked quickly, gathering berries that were easily seen. She covered a couple rows in the 45 minutes or so we picked. I picked at a slower pace, plucking the juicy darkness from under leaves and along the bottom. I covered only 3/4 of one side of a row. Together, we both came away with one gallon of berries each.
Next we moved to the peaches. Located a good distance from the store, we chose to take the truck down to that area. Using 1/2 bushel baskets, we loaded them up twice each, placing the fruit in plastic bags and moving on. Apples were next.
The apples are located in the front of the property. We drove from the back to front, pulling alongside the dirt road. Like the peaches, the fruit was easy to reach. Our baskets filled up quickly. It didn’t take long before we decided we had more than enough to process. We headed back to tally our harvest.
We ended up paying around $125 for our efforts. The store also offers some ready-to-buy produce, water, sports drinks, and trinkets.
It was a great trip. A nice change from just running down to the farmer’s market, grabbing a bunch of items and tossing in a bag. I processed just about all of the fruit. I canned, jellied, and froze for days.
Yes, I will do it again! The next trip will be for vegetables.
