Apple Orchards; Take Your Pick
As summer comes to an end and evening temperatures fall, apples ripen. Its time to visit the orchards, pick a bushel or two of your favorite apples, ride the hay wagon back to the barn or counting house, weigh in, pay and pack your apples for an aromatic the ride home. So it has been for years. Our Connecticut orchards are disappearing. Orcharding is hard work and threatened by fungi, insects and wildlife, from birds to bears and even voles eating at the roots of the trees! Developers wait on the sidelines!
Two orchards that have thrived in Northwest Connecticut are Hayward Orchards on Hayward Road in New Hartford and March Farms on Munger Lane in Bethlehem.
Hayward Orchards is 14 acres purchased in 1928, by Harry Hayward, a Long Island Banker, as a summer retreat. His youngest son chose to develop the home orchard as his life’s work. The orchard is now owned and run by his grandson, Peter, who grew up with the orchard, working alongside his father. Peter currently runs the orchard with the help of his wife, Solfig and son, Tim, and seasonal help.
Their old chestnut barn is filled with 21 varieties of apples, handpicked, sorted, packed and bagged. Some varieties will store until February or March. Hayward Orchards have added 3 varieties of peaches, and pears extending their season, offerings and sales.
In addition to on site sales, Hayward Orchards provides apples for Avon, Canton, Collinsville, Thomaston and Region 10 school lunch programs, as well as providing apples for Hogan’s Cider Mill.
Peter and Tim adhere to a strict program of spraying only as needed to prevent fungi, scab, fireblight, and bitterrot. Bears pose the biggest threat to the orchard, climbing trees and tearing limbs. ‘We sorely need crop damage permits here.” Peter has also had to deal with customer dishonesty and a decline of respect for the trees, their fruits and the grounds. He can no longer permit customers to pick their own apple but welcome family visits and scheduled school trips. “Customers don’t buy apples in such large quantities these days, rarely buying half or full bushels… more likely they’ll buy a peck or small apple bag.” “Some come more often”.
March Farms began it’s history in 1915 when Thomas Marchukaitis purchased 114 acres from Nathan Bloss.. Bloss was reputed to have the first commercial orchard in the Bethlehem area. This parcel included a small dairy farm offering eggs, milk and vegetables as well as an orchard.
Thomas fled from Lithuania in 1912 to avoid a draft into the czar’s army. At the time, he was able to bring only his two eldest daughters to America. His wife and six remaining children would arrive several months later. Initially, he took a job at Scoville Manufacturing, but having worked as a farmer and forest ranger in Lithuania, longed for a farm where he could settle his family. After this purchase, he, like many others, of his day turned to dairy farming. Matt, Thomas’ ninth son born aboard ship in 1912, took over the farm at age 16, in 1928. Matt added a dairy barn. He married in the early 1940s and soon had a growing family to support. Dairying was becoming unprofitable. Matt shifted his focus to orcharding and began to prosper. After WWII, he purchased two additional parcels across the road for a total of 150 acres. In 1954 he shortened the Marchukaitis name to March. Matt’s middle son, Tom grew up working alongside his father on the farm. In 1976 Tom and his wife Sue took over the operation. All four of their children, attended college, and tried various careers; Heather has returned home to teach, Tom works as a plumber, but additionally, works part-time with Uncle Billy,( Sue’s brother) operations manager, Ben uses his business degree and corporate experience to sustain business, seek new markets, and develop agritourism on the farm, and Emily, who studied graphic design, has become the PR lady, designing and enhancing their website, working in sales and at the Litchfield farmer’s market. Everyone pitches in when and where needed. Returning to March Farm has brought the family together, working and watching the ‘cousins’ grow up together. In 2009 Tom and Sue entered into agreement with the State of Connecticut to keep the properities of March Farms agricultural, in perpetuity.
March Farm has over 4,000 semi-dwarf apple trees, smaller than the standard tree, easier to pick, prune and spray. You can ‘pick your own’ apples starting the weekend of the Bethlehem Fair. (They offer ‘pick your own’ strawberries, blueberries, cherries, peaches earlier in the summer.) You leave your car keys with them, for security, while you pick. Their farm store offers a gamut of fresh vegetables, grown both at March Farms or inside one of their 14 greenhouses and in co-operation with neighboring growers. Honey, maple products, jams, relishes, dairy products, cider and fresh baked goods are also available. There is a ‘wait list’ for their prepay ‘farm box’ program. You prepay $600 in early spring for a monthly box of fresh vegetables throughout the year.
Outside, there is a petting zoo, corn maze, pumpkin patch, hiking trails and picnicking areas. You can spend the day, enjoy a presentation, an evening concert or even book your own event. Planned school trips are always encouraged.
