It’s the season when trees heavy with crisp, ripe apples tempt our tastebuds. When the apple harvest comes in you know that fall has arrived and a stop at Royalton Farms on State Road can supply you with 15 varieties suitable for everything for pie making, apple sauce, or just good eating.
A visit last week found Bruce Grayson hard at work tuning up equipment while his salesladies, sisters Bree and Kylei Kosek, waited on customers. Grayson said his father, Dave, founded the farm in the mid-1960’s but recalled when he was little, he spent summers playing on the property by the remains of an old cabin.
“When we moved to the property there was also a barn on the property dating back to the Civil War,” said Grayson. “The house (circa 1957), had two parts and was a timber frame structure. I moved into the house in 1982. My father actively worked the farm for years and now 91-years-old, he’s passed that job down to the younger folk.”
Grayson describes his farm as a “hobby farm” with 1,500 acres producing 15 varieties of apples. At the counter he provides his customers with a sheet describing the taste of each variety, as well as whether it is excellent, good, or fair, for pie making and sauce making as well as whether the apple variety is sweet or tart. For instance, if you’re looking for a sweet apple, you might want to try a Honeycrisp. If you desire a tart apple, a Winesap may be the choice for you.
In addition to apples, sisters Bree and Kylei have been tending the garden at the orchard offering fresh green beans, peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, squash and tomatoes. There are also pretty, fresh cut flowers.
While leaves begin turning red, orange and yellow, the perfect picture complement is Royalton Farms, where the orchard of bright red and green apples beckon you to settle down and have a cup of coffee with that apple pie you just made.
By CHRIS STUDOR
Reporter
