At Fletcher’s Blueberry Farm, at 2154 Noah Hayes Road, State Road, between 30 to 35 gallons of berries are ready to be picked each day. Owners Charles and Betty Fletcher let people pick their own berries for $6 a gallon, or they sell already picked berries for $12 a gallon. The farm is open six days a week and is closed on Sunday. It is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Charles Fletcher said he bought 350 blueberry bushes from a man in Winston-Salem 17 years ago and he’s been growing and selling them every year since. He said the fruit will keep coming in for the next 10 weeks. He said the fruit is popular with the ladies who want to make pies and cobblers, and others freeze the fruit to eat as a snack or blend into smoothies.
The farm has been open about 14 days so far this year.
“It’s something to see. Won’t nobody believe it. It’s really got the berries out there this year. We got twice what we normally have,” said Charles Fletcher.
The trees are hanging full of fruit at Ayers’ Orchard in Cana, Va. Delilah Brady-Ayers stood on her porch Tuesday afternoon cutting up peaches, handing them to Debbi Koeblitz of Winston-Salem, who drove up with her daughters Kimberly Ferraro of Elkin and Kelly Rutter, also of Winston-Salem.
“I still have some I canned two years ago,” said Rutter of the peaches she got at Ayers’ Orchard. She said her grandparents taught her the tradition of coming to the orchard each year, picking their own fruit and canning peaches.
Ferraro was a first-time peach picker. She said the taste of the fruit at Ayers’ Orchard is unmatched.
“I like that they don’t spray a lot of pesticides on the fruit here. This is also a very cost effective way to buy fruit. I don’t know of any grocery store that would let you taste the fruit before you buy it,” said Ferraro.
Rutter has fond memories of coming to the orchard with her grandparents as a child.
“It’s also just about the experience of coming up here and picking your own. We used to bring our lunches in a paper bag. This is just a great memory for me,” said Rutter.
Orchard owner Donald Ayers is a fourth-generation fruit grower. He’s been in business for 35 years. He has 65 acres of apples, 20 acres of peaches, four acres of cherries and one acre of plums.
“It’s a little off the beaten path, but once people come here they love it and they keep coming back,” said Ayers. He said he doesn’t advertise and through word of mouth alone, he has grown a 6,000-person mailing list.
Ayers said he has had a “very blessed year” with an abundant crop this season.
“To be a successful farmer, your wife has to be interested in the business,” said Ayers.
To get to Ayers Orchard from Mount Airy, drive up North Main Street, which turns into Wards Gap Road and just follow the signs.
During the week, the orchard is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the folks their suggest visitors call before they come on Saturdays and Sundays because the hours vary. The orchard is open from May until November.
For those who want to pick their own peaches or apples, Levering Orchard is open for business on weekends. Frank Levering is more well-known for the 44 varieties of cherry available for picking in the spring, but with the hot dry summer, he has now moved into selling peaches and summer apples.
The orchard is open Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
“We don’t have too many peaches and that’s why we are only open on the weekends. Picking your own is fun. A lot of people, quite honestly prefer to come in the morning, at this time of the year, it’s rough in the afternoon. We do have some hardy souls that come out and pick in the heat of the afternoon,” said Levering.
Levering suggested people who want to pick their own fruit should wear loose fitting, summertime clothing, hats and good non-slip shoes. For those who do not want to pick their own, freshly picked fruit is available.
To get to Levering Orchard, follow North Main Street, staying left at the Neighbors store, travel up Wards Gap Road into Virginia. The orchard is well marked. From U.S. 52, travel into Virginia, and turn right onto Epworth Road, then left onto Wards Gap Road and follow the signs.
For more information about Fletcher’s Blueberry Farm call 874-2961 or Levering Orchard at (276) 755-3593 or go to www.leveringorchard.com. The number for Ayers’ Orchard is (276) 755-4126.
Contact Mondee Tilley at mtilley@mtairynews.com or at 719-1930.
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