How ’bout them apples
As the fall season begins, many nearby orchards offer a host of fall activities
Autumn — Students can enjoy nearby apple orchards such as Seaman’s and Gross’ Orchard. Photo credit: Courtney Russo
The cooler weather has arrived, and with it comes many outdoor activities and seasonal dishes, along with a staple of the fall season — the apple.
Central Virginia is home to a number of apple orchards, including Seaman’s Orchard in Nelson County and Gross’ Orchard in Bedford County.
Seaman’s Orchard, located at 415 Dark Hollow Road in Roseland, Virginia, offers a variety of produce, including apples. Customers can choose from many different types of apples, such as pink lady, honey crisp and gala. The orchard also offers pumpkins, blueberries, cherries and strawberries.
Additionally, customers are invited to pick their own pumpkins from the Seaman’s patch Oct. 4-31.
Seaman’s also hosts an Apple Butter Makin’ Festival Oct. 4 and 18 at its packing facility in Tyro, Virginia. Festival attendees will be able to visit food vendors, crafters and a corn maze and experience games, pumpkin patches and apple butter making.
Gross’ Orchard in Bedford County, which is a family-owned-and-operated business that sits at the foot of the Peaks of Otter, also offers the fall fruit. There are 24 varieties of apples grown on the land, including red delicious, golden delicious, fuji and black twig.
Gross’ Orchard is located at 6817 Wheats Valley Road inBedford, Virginia.
Ronnie Gross, co-owner of Gross’ Orchards, explained that October is the busiest month of the year for the business due to the increase in the number of products sold, which include country ham and bacon, apple cider and different types of jams and jellies.
The orchard offers a “U-Pick” program, allowing customers to pick their own apples from bushel baskets.
Gross’ Orchard will host its 24th Annual Apple Harvest Festival Oct. 18. The festival consists of food vendors, wagon rides and apple butter made in
copper kettles.
Gross said one of his favorite parts of the job is taking visitors on tours around the orchard and letting them experience the beauty of the orchard.
“I enjoy giving tours and meeting new people, especially people who haven’t been out in the country before,” Gross said. “I love being out here in the country and looking at the mountains and coming to work here every day. There really isn’t a part of the job that I dislike.”
For more information on festivals and other activities held at Gross’ Orchard, visit grossorchards.com or call 540-586-2436. To find out more about Seaman’s Orchard, visit seamansorchard.com or call 434-277-8130.
KOENIG is a feature reporter.