There’s nothing subtle about the Wenatchee area’s pride in apples.
Car dealerships and appliance stores bear apple-themed names, the local newspaper has a globe shaped like an apple on its masthead, and a giant sign proclaims the region the “apple capital of the world.”
Granted, it has reason to boast. Washington itself produces more apples than any other state, according to the Washington Apple Commission, with an anticipated 2007 crop of 95 million cartons, or 3.9 billion pounds. At times, it seems like every patch of green farmland dotting the otherwise arid landscape east of the Cascades harvests the crop.
Capitalizing on the industry, farmers sell freshly picked goods at quaint roadside stands. Larger operations try to draw crowds with a petting zoo here, a cider press there. Most don’t offer a “U-Pick” option because of liability insurance costs and concerns. Nonetheless, here are a few family-friendly places ideal for apple fanatics.
Orondo Cider Works
Along U.S. 97 at 1 Edgewater Drive, Orondo
509-784-1029
Chuck and Sharon Podlich wanted to expand their orchard’s business in 2003, and so the couple opened Orondo Cider Works, a bright red general store complete with a small pumpkin patch, playground, and working cider press.
The press, which goes to work at 10:30 a.m. Saturdays, is arguably the biggest draw.
Apples click up a conveyor belt and fall into a mulcher that spits out the remains, looking something like mashed potatoes. After stacking 10 sheets of the chewed up apples, workers slide the plates under a large press that squeezes the juice into a long tray. A few hours later, bottled cider makes it onto the sales floor.
“It’s a lot fresher than what you’d normally taste from the store,” said Trish Bevan, a Silverdale resident.
The shop treats its cider with ultraviolet light instead of going through the pasteurization process.
“It meets the FDA requirements without killing the cider,” Chuck Podlich said.
Visitors are allowed to stroll through the Podlich’s orchard, which covers more than 100 acres and is on the route of some joggers. Inside, visitors can stock up on pumpkin or apple doughnuts.
Those bakery treats were a big win with a school group visiting the cider works in early October. However, the kids also got to sample some pulp left over from the press. The paste was less of a hit with one 6-year old.
“It tasted like cardboard,” said Ronin Haynes.
Smallwood’s Harvest
Along U.S. 2 at 10461 Stemm Road, Peshastin
509-548-4196
Scarecrows line the parking lot at Smallwood’s Harvest, an elaborate attraction outside Leavenworth that could act as a one-stop shop for fall activities. While owner Mike Smallwood estimated as many as 250,000 visitors stop by each year, the tourist attraction had modest beginnings.
“I started this off the back of a pickup in 1976 out of college,” Smallwood said.
Clearly, it’s come a long way.
There’s a maze for kids, a pumpkin patch, a petting zoo with goats and llamas, a huge store offering Smallwood-branded wines and sauces — roasted raspberry chipotle sauce, anybody? — and, of course, apples galore. Outside the store, a variety of bins hold apples, pears and specialty items, including white “ghost” pumpkins.
“You can’t be average,” Smallwood said. “More people have gone broke being average. You have a hamburger, it’s average, unless its really convenient, you’re not going back.”
Granted, convenience helps draw shoppers from the nearby cities. Tisa Long, an East Wenatchee resident, was visiting with her two toddlers. It’s an annual trip. Her daughter looks forward to the maze, while her husband helps find the family’s pumpkin.
“It’s unique for this area, and there’s not a lot of uniqueness in this area,” Long said.
Miller Orchards
7306 U.S. 97, Peshastin
509-548-7865
In a small shed draped with fading American flag banners, Rich Miller shows off a deed signed by his great-grandfather.
“We’ve been here since the 26th of October, 1905,” Miller said of his 45-acre plot.
Miller and his wife, Teri, operate a roadside stand, plucking from their own land a variety of goods, from Asian pears to Jonagold apples.
“What we sell one day, we pick to replace the next day,” Miller said of the stand, which closes down for the year around Halloween.
If a visitor wants a quick tour of the orchard, Miller is happy to oblige, taking visitors up the hill for a short walk. He may pause to explain that the silver foil underfoot helps reflect sunlight to give the apples a better coloration.
For the most part, the modest stop on U.S. 97 in Peshastin draws the grab-and-go shopper. Do you need some apples but don’t want to deal with kids underfoot? Swing by Miller Orchards, avoid the crowds and get back on the road.
That, at least, was part of the logic for Carol Piening of Olympia, who caught a craving for cider on her way to Wenatchee.
“I like stopping places where I see the trees right here,” Piening said, “to remember where the fruit actually comes from.”
Reporter Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455 or e-mail arathbun@heraldnet.com.
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