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Our
fruit stand is already up and running as we begin our 83rd year
of raising fruit here in the North Fork Valley. As always we
will be selling some of the finest-tasting fruits this part
of Western Colorado can produce. As always, the season begins
with sweet cherries, then soon to be followed by the pie cherries,
apricots, peaches, and continuing on through apple time, ending
in early November.
In the interest of full disclosure we regretfully must inform
you that we suffered one of the most severe crop losses in our
lifetimes this past April as temperatures fell far below the
critical temperature point for the bloosoming fruit trees to
withstand. It was really the month of March that wreaked the
worst havoc with the trees however as we had temperatures in
the 80's, forcing the trees into bloom much too early. Then
when the inevitable cooler temperatures of April arrived, the
trees had advanced too far to be able to withstand them, thus
resulting in major crop losses for this year. Fortunately, for
you our customers however, not all areas of Western Colorado
received the losses that we did in the Paonia area. We plan
to keep the fruit market open throughout the summer and fall
as normal by purchasing and reselling fruit grown by other Colorado
growers in the region. While we may experience a glitch or two,
you our customers will observe few -- if any -- changes from
past years. As stated earlier, our farm market is already up
and running, so be sure to stop by for a visit once again as
you're traveling by. We truly appreciate our faithful customers,
some of whom have been doing your best to keep us going for
decades now. Thanks a lot! We are so very grateful to you.
Please
refer to The Fruit-Ripening Chart for
more information on the projected dates that each fruit variety
will be available.
Those
who have never been to Paonia before or don’t know where we
are located, a brief description follows: We are located on
Colorado Highway 133 at mile marker 8 (about 225 miles west
of Denver). If taking I-70, exit at Glenwood Springs and head
toward Aspen on Colorado Hwy. 82. At Carbondale, take Highway
133 and about 60 miles later you’ll run headlong into our orchards
just one mile west of Paonia. You’ll get here by traveling over
one of the most beautiful scenic byways in the state of Colorado
called the “West Elk Loop”.
If you’re
unfamiliar with western Colorado, you might find the location
map on our web site to be helpful.
Once the harvest begins (about June 20th), we are open everyday,
including weekends, from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm. We are happy to
arrange other hours for you upon special request. While disappointing
some customers, we do not accept mail orders. |
