Area apple orchards hail as appeals of autumn
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FAIRMONT -- Autumn has officially begun today, Tuesday, Sept. 22. Planning a day trip to Timberlake Orchard and Center Creek Orchard in Fairmont are a pick among many seasonal staples.
Timberlake Orchard opened for the season on Friday, Sept. 4. Seated on five acres, Timberlake Orchard has approximately 3,000 apple trees for customers to pick from. While Zestar, SweeTango, Classic Honeycrisp and B-51 apples comprise most of the apple population, Timberlake Orchard, which has planted 180 new trees this year, added Pink Lady, Sweet Sixteen, Ambrosia apples and pears to the line-up.
"Things have been going pretty good," said Timberlake Orchard co-owner Alden Zeitz, who, for 11 years, has cared for the apple trees along with fellow co-owners Brian Kudlo and Josh Zeitz. "We have a pretty good crop of apples this year."
In addition to the new apple variety in the orchard, Timberlake Orchard also offers new items in their store, such as homemade applesauce, ground coffee and more baked goods. Zeitz shared that customers have so far been drawn to apple-flavored baked goods and even to ahead-of-time Christmas apparel.
"I am very pleased with that. You know, we're able to offer a lot more items in our store now. If you look around, we're continuously adding more items. That's what we're here for. We try to find unique things to present to our customers," Zeitz said.
Zeitz shared that foot traffic has been good so far. Timberlake Orchard plans to host community-focused events on forthcoming weekends to bring more people through the door. Serving the customers at Timberlake Orchard is a rewarding experience for the co-owners.
"I enjoy the work, of course, that's always a part of it, but just having customers come in and just them saying how much they like our products... and our returning customers, every year they come back and it's like seeing an old friend you haven't seen for a while," Zeitz said.
Looking ahead, Zeitz explained that the goal is to have the apples off the trees before they freeze, and welcome more customers to Timberlake Orchard.
"We encourage people to come here and try different apples. We also ask our customers to let us know if they have any ideas for us so we can offer more items. We’ve had good suggestions by customers over the years," said Zeitz.
Timberlake Orchard will now appear at the Fairmont Farmers Market, which is open from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturdays, at the Bomgaars parking lot in Fairmont. Timberlake Orchard is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays; closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and is located at 176 200th Avenue in Fairmont. For additional information about Timberlake Orchard, visit facebook.com/TimberlakeOrchard or contact Timberlake Orchard at (507) 235-2648.
Center Creek Orchard opened for the season on Saturday, Sept. 19. Owners Gordy and Karen Toupal are happy to keep the 18-year tradition thriving in the area.
With approximately 800 to 1,000 apple trees on the lot, Center Creek Orchard consists of and specializes in University of Minnesota apple varieties, including classic Honeycrisp, First Kiss, Zestar, SweeTango and Haralson apples and has introduced Triumph and Royal Red Honeycrisp apples to the list. Center Creek Orchard sells both the apples and pumpkins.
"It's been a very good year for the apples," said Gordy Toupal. "The rain we had and the warm weather, it produced a good crop and nice-sized apples. So, people can expect a nice abundance of apples this year when they stop in, but I actually have been picking for about two weeks now, so we have our walking cooler full of apples right now, so we're all ready to go."
In addition to the plethora of apples, there are many activities, including mazes, jump pad, zip lines, feeding goats, miniature golf, super slide, haunted forest, apple sling, hay ride, barrel ride and more, surrounded by fall and Halloween-themed decorations, including the newest axe-throwing attraction. The Toupals and four other individuals have worked hard to spruce up the current lot ahead of welcoming visitors one month in advance, including refurbishing the playground and repainting the super slide.
Seeing the community enjoying the numerous offerings at Center Creek Orchard has been one of the biggest drives for the Toupals to keep offering them.
"It all started with planting the apple trees. My goal was to produce a good apple, and I did that. Then, the next step was, 'how are we going to sell them?' That's when I came up with the idea to do these activities and have people come out here. So, it just kind of kept drilling a little bit from there on," said Gordy Toupal.
As the season progresses, the Toupals hope Center Creek Orchard is enjoyable for all who visit.
"This is the same as every year now to make it a special place for people to enjoy themselves; we can gauge that by the people telling us how much they like it, how they've had a good time. Most of our customers are from Fairmont, and Fairmont supports us very well," Gordy Toupal said.
Center Creek Orchard will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays for five more weekends through September and October, and is located at 663 254th Avenue in Fairmont. For additional information about Center Creek Orchard, visit facebook.com/centercreekorchard1 or centercreekorchard.com.