From John’s Notebook: A Bumper Cherry Crop
Family owned since 1870, Peters Orchard sits on the northeast edge on Adams County in the middle of the Pennsylvania apple belt. We met up with third-generation owner Dave Peters on a warm morning in early July to check out his bumper cherry crop. He said it was one of the largest crops in years, and I couldn’t wait to dig in.
how were they? uh..yup absolutely incredible. Bouncing row to row we tasted several varieties each one distinct…. launching numerous discussions about how we would use the fruit.
It turned out to be about a lot more than “tasting cherries.” overtaking all our senses as we picked, smelled, dissected, and finally popped them into our mouths. Before long our fingers were stained red and recipes of sour brews were in my head.
With ‘Wild Elf’ in mind we decided on Balaton from this harvest. Off the tree, crushed and into our foeders, all we do now is wait (and taste on occasion) until the beer tells us its ready!
-stay tuned….
