A24-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 28, 1998
In Good Growing Season, Scholl Orchards Celebrates Golden Anniversary
(Continued from Page A 1)
quehanna University in Selins
grove in 1967 with bachelor’s in
business. A year later, George
assumed the business.
“In the 19605, Dad was in his
late 50s and didn’t have the desire
to pursue the work of the orchard,”
said Scholl. George indicated he
would be willing to take over the
business. The market, once simply
a table placed out front for the loy-
The Scholls use a cider press built by Orchard Equipment
and Supply of Conway, Mass, in 1965 and modified to grind
up a larger quantity of apples for hour for the market. Scholl
said the machine can produce about 100 gallons of cider
per hour. Pressing is two to three times a week at 100-120
gallons per pressing. “We try to keep the cider fresh," he
said. The Scholls don’t want to sell cider older than three
days. They press about 2,000-3,00 gallons per year.
Jake Scholl with a half bushel of peaches at the Kempton
farm.
al customers from Bethlehem and
surrounding areas, evolved into a
small 8 foot by 10 foot shed in the
early 1950 s and was replaced with
a market measuring 20 feet by 26
feet in 1972.
That same year, an apple cider
pressroom was built, a press was
purchased, and more trees were
planted. George’s father already
owned a plot of land a couple of
miles from the location, on which
additional apple trees were
planted. This land was later sold in
1987.
An additional orchard, in
Kcmpton, was leased in 1982 and
purchased in 1983. On this proper
ty was a six-acre block of produc
ing apple trees. With the help of a
family friend, A 1 Parenti, the
Scholls planted, over a period of
several years, approximately eight
acres of peaches, along with a few
rows of sour cherries, plums, nec
tarines, and pears.
“Our two main fruits are apples
and peaches,” said Scholl, who has
a full-time job as an insurance
claims investigator. With sons
Jacob, 16 and Ben, 19, Scholl
maintains 9-10 acres in apples,
9-10 acres in peaches, and sour
cherries and other stone fruit All
fruit is sold at the retail market at
the farm location.
In season, the Scholls purchase
vegetables and other items from
several Mennonite farmers in the
Kutztown area. Sweet com is pur
chased from Twin Maple Acres
Farm in Bath. The Scholls don’t
sell strawberries or bedding plants
at the retail market.
The market opens June 20-25
with sour cherries. (They once
tried sweet cherries, but because of
bird and rodent control problems,
abandoned them.) They begin the
fruit season with the early, Lodi
apples, in mid-July. About July 20
they begin selling sweet com and
peaches.
As the season progresses, Scholl
Orchards sells tomatoes, peppers,
cantaloupe, zucchini, summer
squash, and other items.
Their busiest season is late sum
mer and early fall, when customers
arrive and the retail farm market
“goes nuts,” Scholl noted, selling
more than 20 varieties of peaches
overall.
“Peach season is our big sea
son," said Scholl.
Early varieties include Garnet
Beauty, Early Red Fre, and Jersey
land. Mid-season peaches include
Red Haven, Sun High, Harmony,
Loring, Salem, and Sun Crest Late
varieties include Crest Haven, Red
Skin, Autumn Glow, Sweet Sue,
Encore, White Hale, and others.
Harmony is a big seller for
Scholl. It’s a mid-season peach, a
good, fresh market item. Scholl’s
own favorite is Sun High.
What differentiates the items
Scholl sells on the market with
The Scholls restored this 1946 Farmall A tractor, purchased from Faith’s late father,
Jack Bailey. Luke Smith, George and Faith’s nephew, sits atop.
In this photo dated October 1952, George Scholl, in plaid
coat, leans against the truck operated by his father, Regi
nald. With them is George’s sister, Joanne (Scholl) Brack
enbury. A load of apples is going to a local cider mill for
pressing.
The Scholl Orchard farm stand was set up in 1948, laden
with baskets of apples in several varieties.
store-bought items is their locally
grown freshness.
He said that customers who
purchase from the supermarkets
and chain stores are eating peaches
“picked in California and shipped
10 days to two weeks before," he
said. The fruit is picked unripencd
yet firm to withstand the long jour
ney. He said that supermarket cus
tomers could take a peach and drop
it on the floor, pick it up, put it back
on the display case, and not have to
worry about it.
But a peach picked up and
dropped at Scholl’s market would
just explode with juice, “because
it’s so ripe,” he said.
Also, for the customers who
pick peaches for baking, a ripe pro -
duct is necessary.
Beginning in September, apple
sales begin. New varieties at the
orchard include Jonagold, Gala,
and Fuji. They also sell Northern
Spy, which is grown by few
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