Peak Season in the Apple Orchard

Apple varieties ripen in stages. This means: when nature takes its measured course, we can harvest one variety after another.

Ten to twelve diligent, careful, swift hands are all it takes to manage our entire harvest. Maria, mother of Thomas Kohl and practically on a first-name basis with our apple trees, plays a special role.

We harvest by hand. This has many advantages. From each tree, we only pick the apples that have reached their optimal ripeness. That is never all the apples at the same time. Fruits shaded by leaves ripen more slowly. They only go into the basket during one of the subsequent picking rounds.

Another advantage of harvesting by hand is quality control. Apple by apple is individually taken from the tree and checked with a quick glance. Our apples may not win a beauty contest, but what matters to us is uncompromising quality.

When we harvest, the farm is a hive of activity. Harvest time always means that production is running at full speed. Ideally, we bring the apples to the press on the very day of harvest. At most, the apples stay in the crate for two to three days when production is at capacity.

At harvest time, our fruit farm buzzes like a beehive. Bottles and cartons are delivered and collected, crates of apples are brought to production, visitors come to discover us or pick up their favourite juices directly from the farm. This will continue for a few more weeks before the pace slows somewhat in November and we process the last apples into exquisite juice.