March is a quiet time of year in an apple orchard. The trees have been dormant all winter and are just starting to rouse themselves for the production of the newest crop. While they’re at it, we decided to offer our site’s visitors some apple facts to get us all through until we can sink our teeth into a crisp, sweet Gala this fall.

• Archeologists have found evidence that humans have been consuming apples since at least 6500 B.C.
• In colonial times, apples were called “winter bananas” or “melt-in-your-mouth.”
• Apples are a member of the rose family.
• It takes the energy from 50 leaves to produce one apple.
• A bushel of apples weighs approximately 42 pounds, and two pounds of apples make one 9″ pie, so you could make 21 apple pies with one bushel of apples.
• Apples are fat, sodium, and cholesterol-free.
• Two-thirds of an apple’s fiber and many of the antioxidants are found in the apple peel.
• The average size of an American apple orchard is 50 acres (Parrish’s orchards total 40 acres, but they aren’t contiguous).
• Apples ripen six to ten times faster at room temperature than if kept refrigerated–so if you want your apples to still be crisp in a week, keep them cool!

If you’re like us, you can’t WAIT for fall to get here. For now, we do still have fresh-pressed cider and of course all the rest of our wares, including jams, jellies, and wine, so come on up to see us!