What’s Pickin’?

When you arrive, you’ll find the full list of farm fresh produce that is currently available for U-Pick! You can also follow us on social media where we post weekly “What’s Pickin” updates.

Apples

Jonagold: Sweet – tart taste
A popular dessert apple the Jonagold can be used in a variety of sweet preparations. Bake into pies, tarts, muffins, and cakes. Hollow and stuff or cook whole and baste to make baked apples. Jonagold apples are perfect for use in sauces, preserves and jam. Their sweet-tart flavor will complement savory applications as well. Use in chopped and green salad, serve sauteed slices alongside pork or root vegetables or pair with robust cheeses on a sandwich, pizza or cheese board.
Enterprise: Enterprise apples look similar to Mclntoshes, with a glossy red/maroon color and round shape, though they can sometimes be lopsided. The skin is very thick and tough, and the yellow flesh is fine grained and firm. The flavor is mildly tart and richly spicy. While it is tasty right off the tree, the flavor improves after a month or two of storage. The taste has been compared to Fuji apples.
Enterprises are good storage apples, keeping up to six months in the refrigerator.
Mutsu: This medium to large-sized fruit and have a somewhat irregular, conical to round shape with lopsided shoulders. Mutsu apples are known for their sweet-honeyed flavor mixed with sharp, tangy, and acidic notes.
Great for eating fresh and it can also be kept for up to 3 months if stored well. Mutsu apple can be cooked because it holds its shape well during cooking.
Cameo: Cameo apples are covered in red stripes that develop just prior to the apple being ready for harvest. By picking the apples as soon as they develop this signature striping ensures their skin maintains the thin and delicate texture, Cameo’s are known for.
Its flesh is dense and creamy white to yellow in color with a crisp and juicy texture. The Cameo’s flavor is the perfect balance of sweet and tart with nuances of both honey and citrus.
Cameo apples can be used in both sweet and savory applications. Their resistance to browning when cut makes them a choice apple for use in fresh preparations such as on sandwiches, in salads, as an edible garnish or on cheese boards. Cameo’s sweet flavor is enhanced in cooked preparations. Add chopped Cameo to quiche, polenta and cobblers. Their dense flesh holds up extremely well when cooked. Try topping a pizza with sliced Cameo, use as a chunky filling for pastries or hollow out and stuff to make baked apples. Cameo apples pair well with squash, bacon, pears and flavorful cheeses such goat, cheddar and ricotta.
Golden Delicious: Golden Delicious apples are pale green to golden yellow in color and speckled with small lenticels (spots). They are small to medium in size, and tend to be conical or oblong in shape.
Golden Delicious apples are firm, crisp, and white-fleshed.
These apples have a balanced sweet-tart aromatic flavor, which has been described as honeyed. The flavor varies depending on where these apples are grown; in a cool climate, the amount of acid increases, actually creating a sweeter flavor. When grown in warmer areas, the acid content is lower, creating a milder flavor.
Red Delicious: Red Delicious is a medium-sized apple, with a tall conical shape. The dark and intense crimson color makes it the quintessential red apple, and it has strong shelf appeal.
Red Delicious has a sweet but very mild flavor, somewhat reminiscent of slightly over-ripe melon. The flesh is juicy and has a light crispness. The skin can be quite tough.
Fuji: Sweet, juicy flavor with a subtle refreshing tart undertone
Fuji apples are an excellent all-around apple for use in recipes, both fresh and cooked. These sweet apples have a fine texture and juicy flesh, making them ideal for everything from smoothies to tarts (and of course, apple juice!). They can be used in recipes where apples are raw, baked, roasted, or stewed.
Fuji apples are good for baking, as they tend to hold their shape and texture well when cooked. They do have a milder flavor than some other cooking apples, however, so it is not unusual for bakers to blend Fuji apples with different varieties to add a complexity of flavor.
Granny Smiths: Granny Smith apples are known for their distinct tartness, crisp texture, and vibrant green skin. Their sharp, tangy flavor makes them a versatile choice in both sweet and savory dishes. In baking, they hold their shape well, making them ideal for pies, tarts, and crisps. Their tartness also complements rich cheeses and can be used in salads for a refreshing contrast. Additionally, Granny Smiths are often used in juicing, sauces, and preserves, where their acidity adds a bright, zesty note
Galarina: Galarina apples are a lesser-known variety with a balanced flavor profile that combines a mild sweetness with a hint of tartness. They have a firm, crisp texture and a deep red skin, making them visually appealing as well. Galarina apples are versatile in their uses, working well in both fresh and cooked applications. They are great for snacking, adding a satisfying crunch, and are also excellent for baking in pies, tarts, and crisps due to their ability to hold their shape when cooked. Additionally, their flavor makes them a good choice for sauces and preserves.

Vegetables

Sicilian Eggplants: Sicilian eggplant falls under the same umbrella as the Italian variety, but these are small, round, and light pink or lavender in color. Their flesh is custard-like and sweet
Purple Eggplants: known for their tender texture. The velvety interior works well in soups, stews, and dips, but you can also prepare purple eggplants whole
Peppers: Two sweet and three hot varieties.

Pumpkins

Perfect Jack-o-lantern Pumpkins: Located on the Hill Side Orchard

Sunflowers

Supreme Sunflowers: Earlier flowering, shorter and stronger flower stems (including a stronger neck), and flowers with more rounded petals.
Sun Rich Sunflowers: Sunrich flowers are pollenless, long lasting, densely petaled and upright facing on strong stems.
Gold Lite Sunflowers: Gold Lite is a hybrid sunflower variety with gold petals and a light center. Overlapping petals on large, full flooms. Pollenless heads make it perfect for cut flowers. Resistant to downy mildew.