By: centraljersey.com
The farm in Princeton grows more than 30 varieties of apples, and has even planted some new kinds this year – those trees will bear fruit in a couple of years. Over the course of the year, apple lovers can buy Empire, McIntosh, Honeycrisp, Jonathan and Macoun varieties, just to name a few, for eating, baking or making into applesauce.
Terhune’s Apple Day Festival, Sept. 18 and 19, is a two-day party devoted to the fruit that defines autumn. Apple orchards will be open for picking, and there’ll be family-friendly events like pony rides and an adventure barn devoted New Jersey legends and lore.
Kids can visit the farm’s animals. Wagon rides will take visitors to pick pumpkins, and horse-drawn wagon rides will be available Sept. 19.
After picking some apples, why not get lost – in Terhune’s corn maze. The maze is about half an acre, a smaller size that makes it easier for families and kids to walk through.
There’ll also be plenty of food.
"One of the big things is we roast a pig and we have a food tent," says Gary Mount, one of the farm’s owners. "We have pork sandwiches, hot dogs and barbecued chicken. Lots of good country food."
There will also be live music from the Daisy Jug Band. This year’s Apple Day Festival is Terhune’s 23rd, and Mr. Mount says the Daisy Jug Band has played about 20 of them.
"They’re the only band I know that can play from 10 a.m. to 4:30 in the afternoon," he says. "They have a big enough repertoire and enough staying power, they’re absolutely great."
On an early September morning, as the temperature approached 90 degrees and autumn seemed far away, Mr. Mount showed a reporter around the farm’s apple orchards. He says this year’s crop is one of the best he’s ever seen, pointing at his Empire apple trees with pride. When asked if this summer’s hot and dry weather was good or bad for apples, he replied, "It’s a pain the neck, you know? It’s been very dry, we’ve had to irrigate a lot. The apples don’t know we’ve had a drought because they’re all irrigated, they get a drink every day."
Terhune’s Empire trees are "dwarf trees," meaning the root stock is weak, so that the trees don’t grow too high, though their tops look the same as a standard Empire tree. Smaller trees make it easier for staffers and customers to pick apples.
Other apple varieties available at this time of year include Red Delicious, Gala, Liberty, McIntosh and Jonathan. The variety of choices has two advantages. First, different apples are ripe for picking at different points of the year, allowing Terhune to sell apples throughout the season.
The other factor is taste. Mr. Mount says that while many peach varieties are similar in taste, each apple variety has its own distinct taste.
"Apples have different maturity dates so that we have them through the early season right now – for example we just picked Gala and Honeycrisp – until the very last apple, which is Pink Lady," he says. "So they do have a difference in maturity dates over two and a half or three months, but they’re also very distinct. And people always come for their favorite apple."
Mr. Mount says some of the more popular varieties are Empire and Cameo, which are available in mid-October. "People kill for that apple," Mr. Mount says of Cameos.
One popular New Jersey apple is the Stayman Winesap, which is tart, juicy and has a thick skin. But it’s not popular in other states.
"It keeps our customers coming back, that’s actually our biggest variety here, so for our customers it’s very well known," he says. "But if I tell my friends in other states that Stayman Winesap is one of our biggest varieties, they go, ‘What?’ They don’t even grow it."
Terhune apple cider donuts are revered by many, as is the farm’s apple cider. When asked which apple varieties go into the cider, Mr. Mount says, "Well, now you’re asking us to give away the secret."
He does say that it takes a mix of apple types to make good cider. Making cider with just one type can make cider too sweet or tart. Different apples are used throughout the season, depending on what’s ripe, so some customers like the cider is available early in the season, while others like the cider that’s for sale in the winter.
"I can’t say we have a strict formula because it does change according to what apples are available," Mr. Mount says.
As he talked about Apple Day outside Terhune’s farm stand, Mr. Mount pointed to some children running from a group of turkeys. Running the farm is a lot of work, but he says he and his family enjoy it. His daughters help out with the farm, the farm stand, and Terhune’s new wine grapes and winery.
Even the grandchildren are getting involved. One granddaughter knows how to work a cash register. Mr. Mount says his grandson was recently asked by someone what he wanted to be when he grew up.