Dear Friends,
The peach harvest is just about complete. Today, as we are sharing our thoughts with you, rain has set in, but our working crew is picking the last Madison, Biscoe and Redskin. The hot, dry dog days seem to have at last given way to changeable skies. Apples need cool nights to get good color.
Looking back on the summer the Gammie family thanks you for your support. We sincerely hope your stop at Quarry Hill Orchards was enjoyable. You probably did see that our operation truly is a family one. For us the harvest is the way of life. Family activities center about the packing house. It seems we ate many of our meals there, worked out family disagreements there and watched our children grow there.
Our youngest, Adrianne, celebrated her first birthday bouncing among boxes of peaches. Our son Ben still wants to be a farmer, although his dad encourages him to widen his perspective. He has begun nursery school so he will get a break from the daily routine. Despite the apparent confusion, irregular hours and time away from home we still find our greatest joy in our family.
Apples are beginning to demand our attention. Like the peaches, apples will be a week to ten days later than normal due to the late spring. We have begun to pick Mcintosh, but it looks like October before most popular varieties are ready. We will have “pick your own” apples this fall (on Friday, Saturday, Sunday only) and we do hope to share our favorite time of the year with you. Apples, cider, pumpkins and Indian corn are as much a part of autumn as our football and falling leaves.
The following time table should provide a guideline for major varieties:
VARIETY APPROX. PICKING DATE
Mcintosh Sept. 12
Jonathan Sept. 20
Red Delicious Oct. 2
Golden Delicious Oct. 12
Winesap Oct.20
Rome Oct.22
Hope to see you this fall!
Our best,
The Gammie’s
