Ch-ch-ch-changes, It's gonna be a different Farm!

Things change, all the time.  The nature of life is about change.  From birth to somewhere in our twenties our bodies must grow our die.  After that our bodies slowly, incrementally break down.  No matter what stage of life, standing still is not an option!  And it's the same thing on the Farm.  The change can occur subtly (we somehow never seem to notice the grass actually growing until we notice it's really high!) and in sudden bursts (like the new baby calf that surprised us last week!).  Some change is deliberate (for example Your Farmers' decision to minimize our focus on Disney-land-style entertainment and unveil the "real Farm" to our Fall 2010 visitors) and other change happens regardless of our plans (like this Spring's late frost and its effects on our apple crop).  Philosophers and the like often talk about human character in terms of man's ability to absorb and respond to change.  We like to think that farms can be measured against a similar metric.  So let me fill you in on some of the changes we've got going on @ Miller's Orchards for Fall 2010 (in no particular order)...

• A quick note on our bovine population--we are indeed one cow richer as of last Friday! One of our cows--whose due date was predicted for mid-October--surprised us with a healthy calf! No pictures of the newborn yet, but they will follow...
• Our U-pick Apple Orchard was the victim of another late-spring frost for 2010, the second year in a row.  Though we're sad to report that this orchard will not be open to the public for apple-picking this Fall, we are offering a one-weekend-only opportunity to come join the Apple Harvest WITH Your Farmers!  On Oct 2nd and 3rd we are inviting our Farm visitors to join us in the orchard to pick the "cider-grade" apples (definition: tastes great, looks funny) with Wally and Walter Sr (Grandpa).  You'll have a chance not only to be a "real" Farmer but also to interact with the two guys on the farm who know the most about apples!  (That's a combined 145 years of apple experience!)  Now I know this is sounding like a Tom Sawyer con, but we really think you'll enjoy the harvest activity!  And if you really want to purchase some of the cider-grade apples you pick, you'll be welcome to (by weight) in the Farm Market.  I do recommend, however, that you save your money for the larger, nicer-looking "#1-grade" apples for sale in the Market.
• Perhaps you're sick of hearing it, but I'd like to emphasize one more time that if you visit the Farm in Fall 2010, you'll be seeing the "real" Farm a lot more clearly.  Because we've stripped away of few of the glitziest (and spookiest) distractions from the Fall line-up, you'll be checking out the actual Farm operations almost wherever you look! If you're at all interested in how food grows, you'll want to catch one of our Guided Farm Tours (offered twice each on Sat and Sun) beginning Sept 25th through Oct 31st.  Here's where you'll have a chance to spend 45+ minutes with the fascinating 6'2" tower of knowledge and eccentricity that we lovingly call Brother Lew!  He'll regale you with facts, figures and anecdotes about all the Farm operations, answer your questions, and MAYBE even showcase his award-winning cattle & pig-calling skills ALL while you bump along the Farm roads in one of our HayExpress LX haywagons...  What more could you want from a Fall afternoon?

That's all the ch-ch-ch-changes that are fit to print in one blog post.  More to come later this week.  In fact, it's time for Your Farmers to head to the field to pick some pumpkins!  On the next blog post: doughnuts, cider, chicken bbq, and more.  In a future blog post: all about honey!

In joyful acceptance of the beauty of change, I remain,
Delana (for Your Farmers @ Miller's Orchards)