It’s September – Time for Apples, Honey, Wine & Breweries

Even though it’s still “the dog days”, Autumn is coming up fast. Becoming beekeepers has been a fun experience this summer and we’re anxiously awaiting our first honey harvest shortly after Labor Day!  We use honey as a sugar substitute in just about everything, and it’s been a great learning experience for the kids.

Autumn is the time to get out and visit an apple orchard with your family. There are several in the Twin Cities area to choose from and one we like is near us in Waconia – Deardorff Orchards. Located on a scenic 125-acre apple farm adjacent to Carver Park and home of Parley Lake Winery (something fun for the grownups) the orchard has 4,000 trees with 14 varieties including Honeycrisp, Zestar!, SweeTango & Haralson.

Inside the 1885 barn, you’ll find apples, wine, cider, jam, honey, gifts, pumpkins, mums, squash & more. A visit to the orchard wouldn’t be complete without a tractor-pulled wagon, kids’ haystack & farm animals. Visit deardorfforchards.com for more information.

For orchards and locations of other Minnesota Grown facilities, visit the Minnesota Grown website for a free guide.

If you’re looking for a night out with friends, check out Waconia (recently featured in Mpls./St. Paul magazine) for a distillery, breweries and vineyards. There are many places to choose from – click on the links below for more information:

• J. Carver Distillery – jcarverdistillery.com
• Waconia Brewing Company – waconiabrewing.com
• SCHRAM VINEYARDS WINERY & BREWERY – schramvineyards.com
• SOVEREIGN ESTATE WINE – sovereignestatewine.com

Many of you have expressed interest and concern for our landscape foreman Alan Sanford, who was recently diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Alan had chemo last week and is beginning his series of treatments. If you’d like to support Alan and his family by making a donation to cover his medical expenses, click here.