Apples, Apples and more Apples!

Chris and Kim Hall are the owners of Hall's Apple Market, located in Brockville, Ontario. Chris is the 4th generation of the Hall's Apple Market Family where they have a 40 acre Apple Orchard that supplies them with a variety of apples. Chris and Kim have 4 children who help out around the orchard and workers who live on the farm. And just like most farms you can find 4 legged furry friends running around to greet you, like Ace in the picture below.

Fun Fact from Kim Hall:

Did you know that apples last longer when stored in the fridge? The best place to keep your apples is in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. Apples keep best when stored in a separate bag and do not combine them with other produce. If you prefer your apples to be warmer then the fridge temperature, take them out in the morning to enjoy throughout the day.

Although Hall's Apple Market is open all year round, the apple season only runs from July to end of October. During those months you can find a variety of their apples, such as Honey Crisp, McIntosh, Russet, Spy and Lobo (to name a few), here at Foodsmiths.  

The apple picking season starts in August and runs to the end of October. The months of August, September and October harvests different apples.For example you will find Lobo apples in August and Golden Russet apples in October in our produce section. 

Once the apples are picked they are stored in large wooden bins which are placed in very large storage coolers. These coolers can store up to 600 large wooden bins full of apples. There are 2 cooler storage rooms, so you can imagine the amount of apples their orchard produces. The workers then bag the apples to have them ready for shipping. Some apples can be purchased per pound or prepackaged bags. 

Hall's Apple Market also makes Apple Cider. This keeps them busy throughout the year as they are able to make it when there are no more apples on the trees. The apples are peeled and sliced by hand by the workers on the farm. All the cider is made on site and packaged in a variety of sizes to sell. Foodsmiths carries the 1 litre and 2 litre jugs. 

To get the trees ready for winter, the workers prune the trees after all the apples have been picked or fallen off the trees. This gets rid of unnecessary branches and dead leaves. All the apples that fall off the trees are called grounder apples or deer apples. These apples are picked up and set aside for deer hunters to use to feed the deer, hence the name deer apples. Nothing goes to waste at Hall's Apple Market.