Today's Farm Fall 2020 by The Globe

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FALL 2020

Today’s Farm

READY, SET, BITE

Area orchards ready to dish out the apples, pies and seasonal fun By Jane Turpin Moore The Globe

EGIONAL — Aiming to improve your nutrition game this fall? Eating an apple a day would be an easy goal to set and meet, since four locally owned area orchards are ready with a plethora of ripe, juicy produce. “The crop looks good so far,” said Jenni Kirchner of Slayton’s Stonegate Orchard. “Really, things are fabulous this year.” Owners of three other orchards echoed Kirchner’s sentiment; all that’s left for apple-lovers to do is visit an orchard of their choice and stock up on the tart or sweet fruits they prefer. Of course, there are oodles of additional tempting options at these markets. But loading up on caramel dips, gourmet pies, honey, jams, pumpkins and gourds is entirely up to you.

READY, SET, CRUNCH!

Tim Middagh/The Globe

Trees at the Stonegate Orchard are heavily laden with ripe apples.

Nystrom Orchard, 30679 Quine Ave., Worthington. (507) 291-2530, nystromorchard.com. Open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday. New in 2020 at this fourthgeneration family-owned orchard a few miles south of Worthington is a market shed that improves and diversifies the Nystrom Orchard apple-buying experience for all comers. “It (the building) went up late last fall and we finished it over the winter and spring,” said Kia Nystrom, whose

husband Aaron grew up on the land where his family has fostered apple trees for over three generations. The couple’s three young children — Kip, Cort and Thea — are the fifth generation of Nystroms to aid in the apple-growing and harvesting process at the Quine Avenue property where 14 apple varieties are currently available. More types are in the production phase for coming years. Within the Nystrom Orchard’s new shed are comfortable restroom facilities, coolers to keep the apples fresh and space for Kia’s by-appointment-only Gourmet Apple Tasting events. “We publish the available dates on our website,” noted Kia. “We pair cheeses (like Brie with baguette and apple), sparkling ciders, smoked pork loin with a Cortland chutney sauce and end with my Dutch apple pie a la mode.” A minimum group of five is required for a Gourmet Apple Tasting, though when pandemic concerns are set aside, the handcrafted table made of apple wood accommodates up to 14. “We try to keep it fresh and interesting and showcase apples in ways that maybe aren’t as traditional,” said Kia. “You don’t have to leave Worthington to find a special experience,” she emphasized. Nystrom Orchard also has a cider press on site — watch for their Cider Weekend in November — and, out of necessity for apple pollination, has produced its own Orchard Honey for the past three years. “It’s the purest, rawest honey you can get in the area,” promised Kia. “We’ve sold out our honey harvest each year.”

Nystrom Orchard’s 2020 apple crop is “excellent,” she said, with a good amount of Honeycrisp and Zestar on sale. “And we have a lot of the heirloom varieties people love, like Haralson, Fireside — that’s a fantastic eating apple — Connell Reds, Regents and Cortland, which are great for baking.” Kia’s mouth-watering Dutch apple pies attract buyers, as do hand-dipped caramel apples. “The kids are our main helpers on a weekly basis,” said Kia. “I love having them learn about business practices and interact with customers.” Nystrom Orchard’s products are also available at the Saturday morning farmers market in Spirit Lake, Iowa, and at Solsma’s Punkin Patch in Sanborn, Iowa.

Tim Middagh/The Globe

Kia Nystrom shows the orchard’s new store on the farm on Quine Avenue in rural Worthington.

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