82-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 12, 1996
Overseeing the J & S Orchard roadside stand are Stella Richards and Dutchess. At
this time of year, the Richards sell several varieties of apples from their orchard in
addition to pumpkins and some of Stella’s homemade jams and jellies.
LOU ANN GOOD
Lancaster Farming Staff
PRICETOWN (Berks Co.)
Three acres with 500 apple trees
might not sound like much com
pared to some orchards. But what J
& S Fruit Farm lacks in size, it
makes up in quality.
Elsewhere, it would be difficult
to find as many baskets of blemish
free apples as those sold at the
roadside stand located along the
winding Pricetown Road.
Jim and Stella Richards operate
the orchard begun by Jim’s parents
in the 19505. Peaches, nectarines,
and black and red raspberries are
also harvested on the farm.
From the beginning, it has been
a do-it-yourself operation. Jim’s
parents lived in a shed on the
20-acre property while they built
their house. For many years, the
shed was used for hay and equip
ment storage. Since then, the shed
has been added to and revamped to
accommodate the apple business.
The changes were made not by pro
fessionals but by the Richards
themselves.
The Richards are grateful for the advice the county agent for Penn State Extension
gave them to operate a successful orchard. Because Stella believes In the extension
services, she has been an extension board member for about six years.
Apples
Af J & S
At almost every turn in the ware
house, words describing the opera
tion is sprinkled with phrases such
as “Jim devised this” or “we built
this walk-in cooler ourselves.”
The operation is proof that one
doesn’t need to invest in expensive
equipment to run a successful busi
ness. The Richards do not wax the
apples, but the apples are put
through a brushing machine that
gives them a glossy shine. The
same machine is also used to
defuzz peaches during the peach
season.
While the Richards’ setup is not
as mechanized as many other
orchards, it’s been an opportunity
to develop creative improvisions
instead of investing in expensive
machinery.
A prime example of this impro
visation is seen as Stella sorts
apples that run along the conveyor
belt. She deftly rolls the seconds
down a chute, which in previous
years was the children’s sliding
board.
Much of the challenges that the
Richards deal with is not notice-
. ,
Galore
Orchard
able to onlookers.
“I’ve always been a private per
son who likes my space.” Stella
said.
In the beginning, meeting peo
ple who stopped to buy at the road
side stand was a big enough intrus
lion on her privacy. Bui, demand
ing much more fortitude was the
need to market the apples to
retailers.
“Growers need to develop their
own markets,” Stella said of com
ing to terms with accepting what
she considered an unpleasant
aspect of the orchard business.
“When the children were small,
I packed them up with baskets of
apples and we hit all the grocery
stores in the Reading area. I
remember the children hanging out
the car windows when I returned
and being disappointed if a store
did not buy any,” Stella said.
Few small grocery stores
remain. The Richards are pleased
to have established some markets
with the larger stores so that inten
sive marketing is no longer
required.
Stella serves Apple Streusel Coffee Cake, which appears
as the featured recipe on this week’s Home on the Range
page 86.
Jim has always had an off-farm
job in addition to farming. About
1S years ago, the Richards stopped
raising steers, turkeys, pigs and
crops to concentrate on die apple
business.
It’s a full-time job for Stella,
which doesn’t end with the apple
harvest. The Richards have apples
to sell until the end of December,
but that doesn’t mean work in the
orchard ceases. In January, she is
out in the snow and cold, pruning
the trees. The average tree lasts
about 25 years, afier that, the
apples start to deteriorate, she said.
Growers must wait four to five
years for young trees to bear fruit
and eight to nine years to become
profitable.
In June and July, Stella works at
thinning the crop by hand picking
off clumps of apples.
“If too many apples are left on a
tree, the fruit is smaller and spray
doesn’t reach all the apples,” Stella
said of the need to thin the crop.
The crop is sprayed periodically
to prevent mite problems and other
diseases by insects. Scab is spread
from mold spores present on leaves
on die ground. Fruit can develop
bruises, blemishes and other
defects from poor growth or rough
handling.
Red and Gold Delicious are the
biggest apple varieties for the
Richards because many people still
think Red Delicious apples are the
best. Other varieties include
Jonathan, Jonagolds, Winesap, Old
Stayman, Macintosh, Granny
Smith, and Arkansas Blacks.
Apple trees require pollination.
Previously, the Richards had a bee
keeper bring in Lees during th<'
Homestead
NOTES
blossoming season, but now they
have four hives set up on the
property.
“Having our own bees results in
a much better crop. And it’s been a
real education,” Stella said.
Now, the couple need to deal - '
with the mite problems that attack
bee hives, which is a frustrating
concern for beekeepers. Dandelion
and pussy willow blossoms com
pete for the bees’ attraction to
apple blossoms.
In extracting honey, the couple
have ended up with bee stings but
have learned to take it all in stride.
Recently, Stella has become
intrigued with making beeswax
candles and ornaments. She uses
candy molds to form the melted
wax.
Stella is a board member of the
Penn State Cooperative Extension
of Berks County and also on its
Family Living Committee for the
past six years. She is also treasurer
of the women’s group at her
church.
Jim is purchasing agent for a
heating and plumbing company.
He is also the pump authority for
Reading. Every February, he
teaches pump school at the vo-tech
center.
This year, the Richards took
some time off to participate in a
Farm and Ranch Tour in Oregon.
They were fascinated with the dif
ferent types of fanning done in
Oregon.
The Richards have three adult
daughters and three grandchildren.
Because two of the grandchildren
live in Las Vegas, they visit their
grandparents for one month during
the summer.