Staff photo by Connor Cummiskey Husband and wife Chris and Sue Blake stand outside the store at A-Peeling Acres Orchard which they recently purchased from John Rodenberg.

NEW ULM — A-Peeling Acres Orchard is changing hands. Husband and wife Chris and Sue Blake purchased it from John Rodenberg.

The couple was looking for a project that could give them a side income now that they have retired from Lifetouch, a portraiture company.

“In the back of my mind, I have always thought it would be nice if we could find something that we both could kind of dabble in and kind of work in and maybe do it more from passion than the financial wherewithal,” Chris said.

Fans of the orchard should not worry, the Blakes intend to stick with the current winning formula.

“The plan is to kind of keep it as it is,” Sue said. “It was successful as an orchard, so we are going to start there. There are five additional acres that have nothing on them, (we) might do some additional crops.”

They would eventually like to add a few things such as strawberries and blueberries. Soft fruit like that would allow them to open the shop earlier in the season as they ripen earlier than apples.

The Blakes also are interested in bringing in some pollinators for the apple trees.

“We are trying to track down somebody that is interested in having some bees out here,” Sue said.

Other than that the store may get a few changes such as additional apple products and a suggestion box.

The Blakes’ largest experience with tending apple trees was one they have in their back yard. So they want avoid being overwhelmed by trying to make big changes.

“We need to get our arms around the orchard first and really understand that business first,” Sue said.

Customers may notice one significant change — they will not have to break their own change as often because the store should be almost always staffed.

“I think what will be somewhat a benefit to (our customers) is Sue will be out here, or I will be out here regularly, just because of the way our schedules are set up. We are accessible,” Chris said.

The Blakes’ purchase was serendipitous. During the fall of 2016, they were going to get some fresh apples. Instead of going toward the city as usual, they decided to save time by going to A-Peeling Acres, Chris said.

There they chatted with Rodenberg’s wife and found out that the orchard was for sale. Both of them having just retired, they had the resources and the time. However, neither was sure the other was as interested.

Once they had a chance to talk it over, they decided it would be a good idea. So the Blakes contacted the Rodenbergs. A week later they had the price and their decision.

Rodenberg, for his part, is happy to have sold the orchard to the Blakes. It had been getting to be more than he wanted to handle.

“Let me tell you, when you are 60 years old, ladders are a little steeper than they are when you are 40,” Rodenberg said.

After his father died in 2000 and his mother last year, he was the only one to take care of the orchard.

“I wanted to hand it over to someone who was going to do it right,” Rodenberg said. “Do right by the work that has been put into it, and they seem like the folks to do it.”

Rodenberg will be helping the Blakes out. He said he would enjoy the opportunity to get a break from his judge’s chambers now that it is not a chore.

He also will be teaching the Blakes about the orchard and what he knows.

“I am hoping to be able to teach both of them apple grafting this spring,” Rodenberg said. “I am going to order up some roots and probably do a little grafting.”

Grafting is what allows growers to produce the same apple from multiple trees. By grafting branches from one tree onto a root, an apple tree can essentially be cloned, Rodenberg said.

Normally an apple tree grown from seeds will be similar to the parent tree but not the same, akin to how children will be like their parents but not carbon copies, Rodenberg said.

Rodenberg is glad to see A-Peeling Acres continue. He says local food sources such as the orchard are important for the community.

“The more opportunities we have to get food from people we know and with an understanding of where our food comes from, the better off we are,” Rodenberg said.