In addition to the orchard, the Blakes own the red barn store that serves fresh, warm, mulled cider with Sue’s special recipe of whole allspice, cinnamon sticks, and whole cloves. Barn cats and kittens roam freely, chasing honeybees in the sun.

“Some of the little ones are just starting to come out and scamper. You could lose a whole day watching them,” Sue Blake said.

The original section of trees was planted sometime in 1985 by the previous owners. Some trees bear certain years, and some do not, and some are ever-bearing, so there’s always a yield every year and there’s a huge variety of apples. Early apples are Zester, William’s Pride, and Haroldson. Then come the Honeycrisp, Sweet 16, Regents, followed up in the end with a big Northwest Greenies.

“We have counted up to 18 varieties of apples out there,” said Chris Blake, “and the most we harvested in a single year was up to 15.”

It’s apple picking season. A-Peeling Acres Orchard is open every Saturday, weather depend until late October

Sue and Chris bought the orchard back in 2016.

“We both wound up retiring, and we always liked to go to an apple orchard,” Chris Blake said. “So, we were puttering around and Sue said let’s go somewhere local. We came here, and Diane and John were here, then, and I was asking a lot of questions about apples and Diane said they were looking at selling the orchard. I was thinking that would be fun to do; we had a tree in the yard and Sue used to make all sorts of apple bars, apple crips. We talked to John and that’s how it got started. John called it providence and it’s kinda true.”

“And John stayed the first season and showed us how to prune and take care of the trees,” said Sue Blake.

“There’s a lot of involvement,” Chris Blake said. “There’s a lot of things, strategically, that have to be done each year. In the winter, that’s when you have to prune and manage the tree in a shape that’s conducive to hold the produce. That takes all winter, starting in January and we wrap up in late April.”

“The big thing is that they’re a crop and every year is different,” said Sue Blake said, “the two years with the drought we had spectacular apples and then with this nice rain system we’ve been having smaller apples. I think the trees are just recovering. A fabulous bloom in spring doesn’t mean a great crop in fall–just when you think you kinda know and got it down, something else changes.”

Sue and Chris Blake, owners of A-Peeling Acres Orchard.

With the 450 trees, Sue and Chris have enough to sell some produce commercially. They have an apple washing station. This year they provide for Martin Luther College food service, NUACS lunch program, and Sweet Haven Tonics which have apple and thyme tonic.

“Kindergarten from WLC comes here and some preschools and it’s interesting to get the kids plugged into how it all works,” Chris said. “The main beekeeper, John from Gardner’s bees in Sleepy Eye, comes out here when the kids are out and they bring a sample beehive. We talk about apples and making good food choices. They pick their own apple, wash it, eat it and some years they put their finger in a honeycomb. They help me make cider and Sue pasteurizes it, and they have a glass of cider.

“We dabbled in what we want to offer to the community. Sue did a deep dive into raspberries, and she planted wild plums and apricots.”

They sell at the farmer’s market from 2:30 pm to 5:30 pm Thursdays and Saturdays to noon in the A to Zinnia parking lot. They bring dehydrated apples, fresh apples, and honey to most markets, as well as raspberries and apricots during the earlier summer markets.

In the store, they sell apples by the bag. It’s $8 a bag to go and pick from the orchard, or there are apples just to buy, along with cider by the half gallon and quart, apple cider caramel dip, and various syrups (apple, raspberry, apricot).

The store is open 12:30 pm to 5 pm Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. Apple picking is weather dependent (after a long frost the apples are no longer good). Most apple picking seasons can go until usually end of October.

For more information please call (507) 276-0770. The orchard is located at 20902 Pine Apple Ln in New Ulm.

“It keeps us busy. It’s just the two of us, so we manage,” said Sue Blake.