Packing Apples

I wish I could say this was in real-time!

Art and Lina's cherry tomatoes

This morning I got to see Art and Lina's Garden: they are the ones that grow the fantastic cherry tomatoes that most of us are addicted to back in Calgary!

At the Orchard!

I have arrived at the orchard, and between all the hard work, have had some time to snap a couple of photos! (There hasn't actually been any hard work yet, but the apples hanging on the Spartan trees promise a busy day or two!)

Click on any photo to make it go bigger!

Everyone's favourite-- Ambrosias!

Spartans

Derek was kind enough to loan me his fancy "second" camera-- as there are no weddings this weekend-- so I am taking lots of extra special photos that I will upload once I am back (They may not be extra special, as I don't know what I'm doing and they'll likely all turn out blurry!) So, lots more to come, check back often!

Harvest time in Aspen Woods

Produce clerk-in-training!

I was building a display and looked up and saw Matt pulling a pallet, and Tao behind him, pushing! That kid is going to be a produce clerk fer sure!

Apple-lanche!

Honeycrisp are in, and we even have some sheaths of organic wheat to go with our Harvest theme. The last of the Nectarines hint to the end of the summer and the official start to fall. Still clinging to peaches as the last remnant of summer!

Check out those awesome purple carrots!

Last week was not the peak... THIS is the peak!

Aspen Store Sept. 13

The poor store has been ignored by me quite a bit over the past 6 weeks, but we've pulled through and with everyone back-to-school and the market slowing down, I can finally focus a bit more attention on the store.
We're shifting out of stonefruit and into apple/pear/winter veg harvest, so lots of changes and re-sets to come: with photos!

Pre-Teri Best of Blush

I forgot my memory card today, but I had my camera, and an idea that there was a "produce camera" floating around somewhere. I managed to find it, and the memory card was the same as mine, so I plugged it in and snapped away. On it I found a bunch of photos from the store, so I am uploading them as an homage to the "Best of Blush" before I was around!

Finally, the Galas...

5 different kinds of plums, with Prune plums the big seller, and Lareda's my personal favorite (like a Santa Rosa). The Bradshaw are the most beautiful.
Finally the Galas have arrived, they are firm and crispy and sweet, and now we are fielding questions all day of: "Are these this year's?". Reaaaaally.

Peak of the Harvest

Today Matt and Joanna pulled all of the pallets off the truck and lined them up across from the stall. Before we put them all away, Matt took a moment to look from upstairs, and we saw a pretty breathtaking sight.
About 10 farmers picked all this produce; every single piece was touched by someone.
About 8 produce clerks will put it out with care over the next 3 days,
6 cashiers will ring each piece and pound through,
...and it will all leave the building in plastic, cloth, and paper bags, carried by hand to hundreds of tables across the city.

This is why we do what we do!