Lynd Fruit Farm

Winter Rest

2010-12-30T08:44:00.000-05:00

People often ask what we do at the farm during the winter months. Winter on the farm is a quiet time, much more so than during the growing months of spring through fall. Equipment purchases and repairs, packing and shipping apples as the grocery stores place orders, planning future projects or refining current ones, website improvements, meetings with other growers,these are the types of things in which we are engaged, especially in late December and January. Many of the "winter projects" are not so time-sensitive, and that allows us opportunities to spend more time with family and friends. One of the projects I am currently working on is recording farm and family history and sharing that with others via YouTube. There is a steep learning curve involved, and that combined with my patience level (read: impatience) at learning new skills makes some in the family look forward to the months when outdoor orchard work begins. As I grow older I seem to be more aware of the need to slow down and enjoy the blessings and opportunities life presents each day. Come to think of it, while the rest of the family members are cozy in their beds I think I'll take a walk outside and enjoy the winter morning sky.

Jonathon, an heirloom classic

2010-09-15T08:16:00.003-04:00

Honeycrisp has stolen the limelight lately (in regards to apple popularity) and Red Delicious' ubiquitous place on grocery store shelves is well entrenched, but it's the Jonathon apple that year after year quietly delivers apple goodness to those in the know. Arguably the best apple for pies, its followers also rave about the sauce it makes and enjoy its tart flavor and crisp, juicy texture. Over the last decade it has become less and less available in grocery stores as newer varieties (with large marketing budgets) push it into obscurity. The good news is you can still pick Jonathon straight from the tree at our farm, and if you are not familiar with Jonathon, we invite you to the farm this weekend and encourage you to enjoy one of life's little pleasures, the Jonathon apple.

2010-09-15T07:07:00.003-04:00

Apple Use Chart

2010-09-08T19:25:00.000-04:00

Variety	Flavor/Texture	Pies	Baking	Sauce	Salads	Keeping Ability
Fuji	Sweet/Firm	Fair	Fair	Fair	Good	Excellent
Gala	Sweet/Crisp	Fair	Fair	Fair	Good	Fair
Golden Delicious	Sweet/Tender	Very Good	Very Good	Very Good	Good	Average
Golden Supreme	Sweet/Tender	Good	Good	Good	Good	Average
Goldrush	Very Tart/Firm	Very Good	Very Good	Good	Good	Excellent
Jonagold	Sweet/Tart	Very Good	Very Good	Very Good	Good	Average
Jonathon	Tart/Tender	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent	Good	Average
Honeycrisp	Sweet/Tart	Very Good	Good	Good	Good	Average
McIntosh	Juicy/Tart Tender	Fair	Fair	Good	Good	Fair
Melrose	Firm/Crisp Sweet/Tart	Very Good	Very Good	Very Good	Good	Good
Pixie Crunch	Sweet/Crisp	Fair	Fair	Fair	Good	Average
Red Cortland	Sweet/Tart Juicy/Tender	Fair	Fair	Good	Good	Fair
Red Delicious	Sweet/Crisp	Poor	Poor	Poor	Good	Average
Rome	Slightly Tart/Firm	Good	Good	Good	Good	Average
Suncrisp	Sweet/Tart Firm/Juicy	Very Good	Very Good	Good	Good	Very Good
Winesap	Firm/Tart	Very Good	Very Good	Good	Good	Very Good

Morse Road: Don't Even Think About It!

2010-09-08T08:16:00.000-04:00

Morse Road is under construction until at least the end of September and we recommend avoiding it as you travel to the farm this fall. Fortunately, an excellent alternative exists: take S.R. 161 east from the Columbus area to S.R. 310. Turn right on S.R. 310 and head south approximately 1 1/2 miles to the intersection of Morse Road and 310. At that point you've reached the farm!

Pixie Crunch: the new kid on the block

2010-09-08T08:03:00.000-04:00

Pixie Crunch is a relatively new variety for our farm that we will be able to offer as u-pick for the first time this year. As the name implies, it is a small to medium sized apple with sweet flavor and a very crisp texture. Consider it the perfect lunchbox apple. Customers who have sampled it over the last couple of seasons now ask for it by name, and we expect it to develop into one of our more popular varieties. Stored properly in your refrigerator you can expect good quality through Christmas. Quantities this year are limited. Let us know what you think about Pixie, and please give us feedback if you bake with them or make sauce.

Honeycrisp U-Pick Price 2010

2010-09-08T07:17:00.000-04:00

The quality of this year's honeycrisp crop is looking very good as we approach opening day. Some people have inquired as to why the price has been increased this year to $25 compared to last year's price of $20 per bag, so here's the scoop: Honeycrisp is the most highly demanded u-pick apple we grow, and our supplies are very limited relative to demand. Couple that with the fact that it is perhaps the most challenging variety for us to grow well, and we decided a price increase was in order. That being said, we understand that $25 for one-half bushel of apples may be beyond the budget of some folks, and at the same time, our price per half-bushel equates to approximately $1.25 per pound, a very reasonable and competitive price for quality Honeycrisp. That's the scoop!

U-Pick 9/3 - 9/6

2010-09-02T06:41:00.000-04:00

U-PICK SCHEDULE FOR THIS WEEKEND (9/3-9/6), 9AM-6PM

Cool relief from the heat is predicted this weekend making it a great 
time for a trip to the farm! Here is a rundown of this weekend's u-pick 
schedule:

All u-pick apples are priced at $16 per twenty pound bag and $10 per 
ten pound bag. 

Gala:  The hot temperatures of the last week have advanced the 
maturity of the Gala considerably and consequently many of the Gala 
available for u-pick are past what we would call their "prime". We 
recommend trying them before you pick and picking as many as you 
can use within ten days to two weeks. Remember, apples keep best if 
stored in your refrigerator in a plastic bag with a few sprinkles of water 
to retain moisture. 

McIntosh  will have great flavor this weekend and will keep well. If you are a Mac fan this may be the weekend to get them, as they may be all picked by the end of the weekend. 

Jonathon  will also be available this weekend and is just at the
beginning of its ripening window. Expect to have Jonathon available for u-pick the next couple of weekends.

Cider Season 2010

2010-09-01T16:36:00.000-04:00

Some changes are in store for our cider during the 2010 season. We have traditionally pressed our own cider, and over the past ten years we have had a small sized dairy bottling plant in Utica, OH pasteurize and bottle it for us. This year, the Utica bottling plant is not able to perform the bottling function for us and we are relying on another grower to press, pasteurize , and bottle our cider for us. We deliver our apples to them and they take it from there. Perhaps the most important component in assuring high quality cider is the quality of the fruit used to make it. We will still be in control of this very important step, and we are confident you will be pleased with the end result!

Canned Peaches and a bite of Honeycrisp

2010-08-16T16:39:00.000-04:00

Debbie and I canned peaches yesterday evening and we both agreed, the peaches have outstanding (read: better than usual) flavor this year. You may be thinking, and you are partially correct, that we say these types of things every year. But the fact remains, the peaches were luscious! Fast forward twenty-four hours: this afternoon while driving through the orchard I was tempted by a Honeycrisp that had all of the characteristics of a ripe apple. I pulled the prize from the tree, took a sizable bite, and experienced one of life's little pleasures. It was heavenly! Now, before you panic and think that you may have missed the Honeycrisp picking dates, the crop will not be ready until the second weekend in September. This particular fruit was pecked on one side by a crow, and anytime a fruit is damaged, ripening is hastened considerably. I will, however, make a prediction regarding the quality of the fruit for this upcoming fall season: expect outstanding quality. Here's a quick formula I use to make the prediction. Hot and sunny summer weather + ample, healthy foliage per fruit = high fruit quality. As you know this summer has been a hot one, and our trees have a very good balance between healthy foliage and fruit crop load. Consequently, you can expect your favorite varieties to meet and perhaps exceed all of your expectations. Check our fall picking schedule, http://www.lyndfruitfarm.com/main/index.php?,option=com_content&view=article&id=81&Itemid=89, and mark your calender for a getaway to the farm.

Amish Veggie sale!

2009-10-30T10:26:00.000-04:00

We are pleased to offer a selection of fresh, high quality Amish-grown vegetables and are passing on substantial savings to our customers on the following items:

Brussels sprouts on the stalk, $1.50 each
Carrots by the bunch, $1.50 each
Cabbage, $1.50 per head
Cauliflower: purple, orange, and white, $1.50 each
Broccoli, $1 each

These items and more are available at the tent located at the corner of Morse Rd. and S.R. 310 while supplies last. Open daily through November 8th from 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m. (740)927-8559

Goldrush, what a way to end the season!

2009-10-26T06:32:00.002-04:00

Saving the best for last. That's all too often a hackneyed expression in the English language, but in the case of the apple variety Goldrush, it may fit the bill perfectly. Now, before you spring from your chair defending the virtues of the wildly popular Honeycrisp, let us consider the attributes of the much lesser known Goldrush:

"Knock your socks off " intense apple flavor right off the tree, and 12 months later out of storage!
It is the most sweet apple we grow, and at the same time the most tart apple we grow. How can that be? Goldrush possesses very high natural sugar levels, and it is also has a high acid content. Combine the two and you get flavor intensity that is difficult to match from any other variety.
Friend of the family and apple connoisseur Steve Williams presented to us this past weekend Goldrush apples he harvested last year and stored in his refrigerator. They were still very firm!
Disease resistance: Goldrush is naturally disease resistant making it an environmentally friendly, or "green", choice for your family.

Add these attributes together and you have a fantastic apple. Now that we've presented our arguments in favor of the much lesser known Goldrush, we invite you to the farm this weekend, our final u-pick opportunity of the year, to experience it yourself!

2009 Photo Contest Winners

2009-10-23T09:17:00.000-04:00

1st place

"Suncrisp Rainbow", submitted by Tammy Tkac

2nd place

"pumpkin Cowboy", submitted by Farid Masri

3rd place (tie)

"I think I want this one!", submitted by Amanda Frint

3rd place (tie)

submitted by Teresa Butler

Lynd Fruit Farm 2009 Photo/Video Contest

2009-10-06T08:19:00.000-04:00

Lynd Fruit Farm 2009 Photo/Video Contest

We invite you to enter our 2009 photo/video contest by submitting some of your favorite pictures or videos of your family's visit to the farm. It may be a shot of the kids in the pumpkin patch, dad with junior on his shoulders picking apples, the family huddled on the wagon ride, etc.

Information:

Photos should be emailed to andy@lyndfruitfarm.com; videos should be posted to youtube with "Lynd Fruit Farm" included in the title and the link emailed to: andy@lyndfruitfarm.com
The following prizes will be awarded:
First place: $50 Lynd Fruit Farm gift certificate
Second place: $25 Lynd Fruit Farm gift certificate
Third Place: $15 Lynd Fruit Farm gift certificate
Judging will take place by October 23, 2009

Rules:

Up to three photo/video entries per person.
Photos/videos must be received by October 20, 2009.
Digital photos must be in JPG format.
Please include your name, address, phone number, and a caption for the picture.
Only photos taken at Lynd Fruit Farm during our normal operating hours in 2009 will qualify.
Photos entered into the contest become the property of Lynd Fruit Farm and may be used for advertising purposes on our web site or on printed media.
No purchase necessary to win.

Angie's Pumpkin Bread Recipe

2009-09-21T09:18:00.001-04:00

One of our medium sized pie pumpkins will yield approximately 4 cups of fresh pumpkin, enough for four loaves of this delicious recipe!

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh pumpkin
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9x5 pans.

2) In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.

3) Bake for 50 - 60 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Pumpkin Pie from Scratch, Oh Yeah!

2009-09-16T21:46:00.000-04:00

At the request of my daughter I brought home two pie pumpkins from the tent this week. One pumpkin was converted into two loaves of pumpkin bread, one pumpkin pie, and a cupful of roasted pumpkin seeds. As Uncle dave says, "Man that's eatin'!"

Apple Picking 9/11,12,&13

2009-09-08T06:46:00.003-04:00

This weekend we'll open the orchard for u-pick Honeycrisp, Gala, McIntosh, & Sweet 16. A brief description of each is as follows:

Honeycrisp: Our most sought out apple, it's claim to fame is it is the most crisp, juicy apple on the planet.
Gala: For those who prefer a sweet apple a sure winner, a favorite of many.
McIntosh: A New Englander's first choice in many cases. Distinct flavor sets it apart. Very aromatic. Purchase as many as can be used within a month.
Sweet 16: If you like anise flavor you'll be a lifelong dedicated fan of Sweet 16; if you don't, well consider this your warning!

One observation that we have made over the years is that people can be very adamant about their apple variety preferences. When you visit the farm, try all of the varieties and then you'll know for yourself. See you at the farm this weekend!

Honeycrisp: Why All the Hoopla?

2009-09-07T21:40:00.000-04:00

Crisp 'n juicy, its claim to fame,
It takes Honeycrisp as its name.
Take one bite and then you'll know,
Why this Friday the crowds to Lynds go!

Picture of The Day!

2009-09-06T15:05:00.000-04:00

This little lady's exuberance for Lynd's apples is readily apparent, and it's also contagious. Come out to the farm this coming weekend for Honeycrisp and you'll find out for yourself; picking apples at Lynd's is loads of fun!

Pumpkinpalooza

2009-09-04T17:18:00.001-04:00

Make plans now to visit the farm on Saturday, October 3rd for a festive day of family fun. Proceeds to benefit a very worthy cause, Nationwide Children's Hospital. For details check out http://www.lyndfruitfarm.com/images/promo/Pumpkinpalooza%202009%20Brochure.pdf

Juicy Peaches Available Now!

2009-09-02T12:31:00.000-04:00

The apple season is fast approaching, but juicy, tree ripened peaches are still available. Stop by the tent at the corner and take home a peck today. At our house we make a couple of batches of peach cobbler each week during peach season. Here's the recipe:

1/2 cup sugar
1 T cornstarch
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
4 cups sliced peaches
1 tsp lemon juice
3 T shortening
1 cup flour
1 T sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk

Heat oven to 400. Mix 1/2 cup sugar, the cornstarch and cinnamon in 2 qt saucepan. Stir in peaches and lemon juice. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils. Boil and stir 1 minute. Pour into ungreased 2 quart casserole; keep peach mixture hot in oven.

Cut shortening into flour, 1 T sugar, the baking powder and salt until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Stir in milk. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto hot peach mixture.

Bake until topping is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm, and enjoy!

Raspberries & chocolate, what a treat!

2009-08-31T20:19:00.000-04:00

In our house we like to experiment with different fruits dipped in chocolate, and red raspberries rank high on our list of favorites. We freeze the berries and then roll them in melted chocolate, what a treat! The berry patch is brimming with red, ripe berries for the picking and is open on Tuesdays, Fridays, and weekends for u-pick based on the weather . Plan a trip out to the farm, pick some berries, and enjoy one of life's little pleasures. See you at the farm.

Red Raspberries!

2009-08-24T10:06:00.009-04:00

Red raspberries are beginning to ripen and the patch is open for u-pick on selected dates. If you want to be in the "loop" on berry picking dates sign up for our email newsletter at lyndfruitfarm.com. U-pick berries are priced at $2.75 per pint, and we provide the containers. Located at the corner of Morse Rd. and S.R. 310.

It's Peach Time!

2009-08-22T07:46:00.001-04:00

Actually, we're right in the middle of peach season, with plenty of juicy tree-ripened peaches still available. Stop by the tent this weekend and ask for a sample. We'll have you try both the yellow and white varieties, and you can choose which kind is the better choice to help you celebrate one of the great tastes of summer.

Sweet Corn Bonanza!

2009-08-18T18:04:00.001-04:00

The summer of 2009 has turned out to be an exceptionally good year for our sweet corn. Our corn is very tender and must be hand-picked, no machinery allowed! We harvest on a daily basis and many people have commented very favorably on the quality. We should have corn available through Labor Day and possibly later, it all depends on the weather. Our corn can be purchased at our retail sales tent located at the corner of Morse Rd. and S.R. 310. $4.50 per dozen, $2.50 per half dozen, and for those looking to freeze large quantities we're offering five dozen for $17.50. Open 9-6 Monday through Saturday, 12-6 Sunday.