There’s something special about the arrival of fall at Frog Hollow Farm. The pace of the orchard begins to shift, the light softens, and the fruit on our trees takes on a whole new character. While the abundance of summer may be behind us, the fall harvest brings plenty to look forward to.

Right now, we’re harvesting some of our favorite cool-season fruit, including the last of our Asian pears with our Shinko variety, along with our increasingly sumptuous Warren pears. As the season progresses, Warren pears develop an especially buttery texture and rich, delicate flavor that makes them wonderful for eating fresh or adding to salads and baked goods.

Pomegranates are also making their appearance, with bright, jewel-like arils that are as beautiful as they are delicious. They’re perfect for snacking straight from the spoon or adding a burst of color and flavor to salads, grain bowls, desserts, and drinks. And just around the corner are our Fuyu and Hachiya persimmons, which are now ripening in the orchard and signaling that fall is truly here.

Caring for the Orchard

While the summer harvest may have subsided, there is no shortage of work happening among the trees. Fall is an important time for orchard maintenance and preparation. We’ve just finished pruning our apricot and pear trees, helping set them up for healthy growth in the seasons ahead. We’re also preparing the orchard understory for the winter months.

One of the most important jobs right now is caring for the vegetation growing between the tree rows. Throughout the year, these plants help keep the soil covered and protected. By fall, however, they have grown large enough that we need to cut them back. We do much of this work by hand with weed whackers, especially directly underneath the trees where the drip irrigation lines make careful work essential. It’s a labor-intensive process, but the cut vegetation serves an important purpose: rather than removing it from the orchard, we leave it on the ground to create a natural layer of mulch. This helps keep the soil covered while returning organic material back to the land.

We then build on that layer by applying our own farm-made compost. Fall is an important time to replenish the soil, and we’re also tending and turning our compost piles to make sure they are healthy and ready to use.

Beyond the trees and soil, we’re preparing the farm itself for the months ahead. Equipment is being cleaned, repaired, and maintained so that everything is ready when the next growing season begins.

Fall in the Farm Kitchen

The changing season is keeping our kitchen busy, too. We’re packing Warren pears for customers while Becky is turning the harvest into some of our favorite farm-made products. Pomegranates are being processed into juice for our Pomegranate Jelly, while pears are being dried and also finding their way into dried pears, pastries, and her famous Pear Ginger Cake. 

At the same time, we’re wrapping up the last of our summer fruit processing. Stone fruit such as peaches and plums are being transformed into value-added products, allowing us to preserve some of those summer flavors even as the orchard moves into a new season.

And before fall has even fully settled in, we’re already looking toward the holidays. Our kitchen team is beginning to plan seasonal pies and all of the special treats that will fill our holiday gift boxes and sets.

Fall at Frog Hollow is a season of transition, but it’s certainly not a quiet one. It’s a time to harvest what’s ready, care for the land, prepare the trees for another year, and turn the season’s fruit into something delicious to enjoy now and in the months ahead. We’re excited to welcome fall to the farm, and even more excited to share it with you!