Listen to the sounds of country music asyour kites dance in the wind. On Saturday, May5, Stony Brook Bluegrass band will play from 12 -4 p.m. Tookany Creek Band will perform

12-4 p.m. on Sunday, May 6. Our sheep shearer, Joel

Markensey, will demonstratehow to shear sheep in the barn-yard on May 6 at 2 p.m.

Children getto take home apiece of fluffywool attachedto a cardshaped like asheep. Get toknow some ofour other ani-mals in the

barnyard while you visit. Mexicali the horseand Lucky the peacock love making newfriends.

Hungry kite-fliers will find farm-fresh lunchand snacks at Pam’s Food Tent. Our famousbarbequed asparagus is a favorite spring treat.Harvested fresh from the field, we lightly grillthe tender stalks for a special snack. SampleTerhune Orchards’ other spring menu itemsincluding BBQ chicken, country style chili, hotdogs, salads and fresh-baked pies. Our famous

ur annual tradition to welcomespring at Terhune Orchards isKite Day. Come experience the

old fashioned delight of flying a kite with yourfamily during Kite Day on May5 and 6 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.This spring festival is a perfecttime to explore the farm duringone of the most beautiful seasonshere.

In our craft area,children can makeand decorate theirown imaginativekites. We use a kitedesign that is guaran-teed to fly! We alsohave a colorful assort-ment of pre-madekites in the form ofbirds, butterflies and more. Feel free to bringyour own kites from home, too. Whichever kite you choose, fly your kite in our wide-open10-acre pasture with all the farm animals looking on.

Afterwards, the whole family can climbaboard one of our tractor drawn wagons for aride around the farm. Be sure to look up to see the kites swoop and glide above you in thesky. If we are in luck the apple trees will be blossoming, too.

many years of outstanding and dedicated serviceto the agricultural community.”

The Mount Family was lauded at the annu-al dinner. Gary thanked everyone and Reuwaigave a great speech on how Gary and Pam havebeen innovative, foresighted and risk-takers formore than 40 years and that she and her sisterare now full time on the farm and continue thework with energy and dedication. She notedthey are the 11th generation of the Mount fam-ily to farm. Her grandfather had a large whole-sale apple orchard on Route 1. Gary and Pamchanged direction to a smaller, very intenselyplanted and diverse farm selling direct to thepublic. Time will tell how Terhune Orchardswill change. She and her sister are up to the chal-lenge.

Another cause for celebration is that Garyand I recently traveled to New Zealand for anapple orchard tour with the International FruitTree Association. For three weeks we visitedfruit orchards, wineries and local sights withother growers from all over the world.

Since Gary and I spent three years in thePeace Corps in Micronesia, Pacific Islands, thePacific Ocean and the countries around it havebeen a fascination for us. The agriculture inNew Zealand has reinvented itself many timesin the last two centuries. Fruit orchards andvineyards are now prospering.

Great fun for us on the way home, westopped in Hawaii to visit with friends who werealso Peace Corps volunteers in Micronesia whenwe were there in the 1960’s. The outriggercanoe sailing tradition that is still vital inMicronesia has been reborn in Hawaii with areinvigorated interest in Polynesian ancestry andskills.

Being away from the farm for three weekswas a first was for us but Tannwen, Reuwai andtheir families took care of everything.

High Flying Family Fun onKite Day May 5-6

Mount FamilyCelebrates the Season

ooray! The New Jersey State Board ofAgriculture and New Jersey VegetableGrowers Association has a convention

every year with educational sessions, a tradeshow and an awards banquet. This year theMount family was presented with VegetableGrower of the Year in “recognition of your

ur pick your own season begins inApril as soon as asparagus spearsstarts to emerge. Picking asparagus

is very easy. Simply locate a tender, young stalkand cleanly snap it off close to the ground. Stopby the farm store to be directed to the asparagusfield.

Strawberry picking begins in late May andusually lasts 2-3 weeks. They are easy for chil-dren to pick and make a wonderful family activ-ity. The Chandler strawberries that we growtaste great! Our strawberries are excellent forfresh eating, making jams and your favoritehomemade desserts.

Pick your own cherry season is in mid-June.We grow eight varieties of sweet and sour cher-ries. Sweet cherries are best eaten fresh. Makepies and jams with sour cherries. We pamperour cherry trees throughout the season. Nets areput over them to protect them from birds and

(continued on page 3)

Pick Your Own at Terhune Orchards

we also shield them from heavy rain with covers.Just one taste and you’ll see that all that care weput into them is worth the effort.

Call the farm store at 609-924-2310 forpick your own availability. Follow us onFacebook and Instagram for updates from thefarm. As soon as crops are available to pick, wewill let you know.

Trenton Farmer’s MarketSpruce Street(609) 695-7855

330 Cold Soil RoadPrinceton, NJ 08540 • (609) 924-2310

www.TerhuneOrchards.comemail info@terhuneorchards.com

SPRING 2018

The Mount Family

am writing this as I return from anapple growers trip to New Zealand.That is what we do—go look at

orchards. Annually, I meet with other applegrowers to visit and analyze apple orchardsaround the world. This year the trip was in thesouthern hemisphere where we saw not onlyorchards, but Apples! Lots of apples—it is har-vest time in New Zealand. We looked at howthe trees were growing—height, row spacing,tree width, spacing between trees, the types ofrootstock used—all sorts of fascinating thingslike that. Well, at least they are interesting to an

The Spice of Lifeby Gary Mount

apple grower, but this year there was an addedtreat. There were lots of different new varietiesof apples. And varieties add spice to the life of afarmer. Different varieties of fruits and vegetablecan differ in taste, color, shape, size, firmness,keeping qualities, texture—the list goes on. Inthe apple business, especially the wholesaleexport apple business of New Zealand, having adesirable apple variety to sell can make the dif-ference between success or failure of an orchard.

New Zealanders (Kiwis) are leaders in theworld in discovering and developing new applevarieties. The find some by means of controlledcross-breeding of two known varieties. Thepollen of one apple is used to fertilize the flowerof another apple. Usually this is done with acamel’s hair brush. The seeds of the resultingapple are planted and the new trees are carefullyobserved. It is a slow, exacting process but, withluck, there is sometimes a great new apple vari-ety. Other varieties occur either as a naturallyoccurring mutation of a fruit bud or as a muta-tion of a whole limb. The usually happens in theorchard of a grower who is sharp-eyed enoughto realize what is happening and smart enoughnot to prune off the wood the next winter. Aftera year or two of observation, the grower contactsa tree fruit nursery to see if there is any interestin propagating the new apple.

New apples that I saw had names likegalaxy, smitten, rockit, piqua-boo—well, Kiwisare better at growing than naming.

The apple growers group, the InternationalFruit Tree Association, last visited New Zealand18 years ago. New Zealand has a small popula-tion and must export all their apples—tradition-ally to Great Britain. The main apple was Cox’sOrange Pippen which was a favorite of the Britsbut not really marketable to anyone else. Tastebuds are very regional. When we visited backthen, the Kiwi apple industry was in trouble.Great Britain had joined the European unionand lower cost apples from France andGermany had taken the New Zealander’s mar-

ket. The Kiwis were left with apples that weredifficult to sell elsewhere in the world. In the last20 years, they have rebuilt their industry withbreeding and development of new varietiesspecifically chosen for the Asian markets whichwere relatively nearby, becoming more prosper-ous and hungry for apples. The taste buds ofChina, Korea, Japan, Vietnam and others arelooking for apples that are large, red and verysweet.

As orchards were replanted, New Zealandadopted new techniques and new rootstocks.They learned how best to use their abundantsunshine and long growing season to advantage.Their shipping and marketing system is tops.Production is high, quality is excellent and prof-its are even better. Many of their new ideas camefrom our apple growers organization, the IFTA,which has been steadfast in the free exchange ofinformation over the past 60 years. We fundresearch in better apple growing (I am the chairof the research committee) and hold annualconferences at fruit growing locations aroundthe world. As visitors, we were met by veryfriendly Kiwi fruit growers. We shared a com-mon passion and our histories have been theirhistories.

Farmers’ excitement over new varieties doesnot stop with apples—far from it. Every farmingendeavor is a constant search for better varieties.Not just food crops but all other farmed cropsand animals (in livestock production, substitute“new breed” for “new variety”)

And then there is the coconut. On the wayhome from my new Kiwi friends, Pam and I vis-ited Mike and Angelina McCoy in Hawaii. Weknow Mike from when we served as PeaceCorps volunteers 50 years ago. We were on asmall Pacific island—smaller than my father’sfarm—in Micronesia called Satawal. Pam andMike were teachers; I was an agricultural agent.I specialized in coconut culture—importantbecause coconuts were the life sustaining crop ofthe island. One thing the islanders wanted washelp with—you guessed it—new varieties. Animproved variety can produce a better crop sim-ply by virtue of its genetic makeup. Bettercoconuts (size, shape, weight, taste, etc.) cangrow from the same sun, air, soil and water justby being a better type of coconut.

The Satawal coconuts were small. Whenhusked, the nut was about the size of a tennisball. I was able to bring in a new variety that wasnot only a good growing plant, but which had amuch larger coconut. When husked, they werelarger than a large grapefruit. We set the nuts,which are really coconut seeds, out in a nurseryand when they sprouted, we planted the best-looking ones. When I was there, we replantedabout half of the island. Our three years’ time inthe Peace Corps came to an end before anyresults were visible. However, Pam and I wereable to visit about 20 years ago—one week oftravel in each direction. We attended the ordi-nation of one of Pam’s students as a catholicpriest. The island had lots of coconut, largecoconuts. As the trees that I had plantedmatured, the Satawalese took the nuts andreplanted the rest of the island!! One of my hap-piest moment ever was when I overheard a visi-tor from another island ask “Where did theSatawalese get such large coconuts?”

We had such a nice visit in Hawaii withMike and Angie and also three other returnedPeace Corps volunteers who had served on thesame small islands during the time we werethere. We were last together 50 years ago.

It became time to head back to TerhuneOrchards. One of the first crops that will beready for picking are strawberries and I needthem uncovered, weeded, fertilized and ready togrow. Later this year we will plant a new straw-berry field and will include a terrific new variety,Rutgers Scarlet. It has big berries, nicely red andgood tasting. They will be ready to pick in Mayof 2019. New varieties are the spice of thisgrower’s life.

ur farm is a wonderful location formaking memorable events for smalland large groups of friends, families

and co-workers. Allow us to help you plan aunique bridal shower, baby shower or any kindof family celebration. Fundraising events featur-ing private wine tastings on our picturesquefarm can benefit nonprofits and civic groups.

Large corporations and small businesses willenjoy gathering staff together to connect, engageand learn at our 200-acre farm. A farm eventfilled with fresh air, fruit picking activities and alittle outdoor adventure is a refreshing way toreward employees.

Boost morale, cultivate a team spirit and fos-ter effective communication with a team build-ing visit to our unique venue.

The customizable event spaces at Terhune

Host Family and Group Events atTerhune Orchards

Orchards are suitable for large or small groupslooking for the perfect spot to work and play. Afull range of catering and wine tasting packagesare available to suit your needs.

For more information on creating a one-of-a-kind event for your group, email tmount@terhuneorchards.com or call 609-924-2310.

ur barnyard birthday parties are aunique way to celebrate with yourfamily and friends. Your guests will

enjoy a wagon ride through the fields, farmactivities, games and pedal tractor rides. Held in

Birthday Parties on the Farm

op over to Terhune Orchards to cele-brate the arrival of spring at the annu-al Bunny Chase on March 31 and

April 1 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. During this non-competitive, free event, children 2-8 years oldlove to participate in our self-guided treasurehunt. They follow hand-drawn clues around the

Put Spring in Your Stepat the Bunny Chase

a reserved area of the farm, enjoy two hours offarm fun during your party.

Birthday party packages include cupcakesfrom our bakery and our fresh pressed applecider. Each child takes home happy memoriesand a Terhune Orchards coloring book. Ponyrides and face painting are available for an addi-tional charge.

We host discounted weekday parties, perfectfor planning a celebration for pre-schoolers orolder children after a day at school or duringspring break.

To reserve your date for a birthday party ormore information, visit the Groups & Partiespage of our website or call 609-924-2310.

Kite Day(continued from page 1)

apple cider donuts and fresh-pressed apple cidermake every visit to the farm complete. Fourteenvarieties of wine are available for tasting in thewinery.

Free parking at the farm. Admission to thefestival area is $8, age 3 and up. 

Call 609-924-2310 or visit www.terhuneorchards.com for more information.

farm towards a special spring surprise. Oncethey solve all the clues, the children will findthemselves at a special hay-filled enclosurewhere our fluffy bunny rabbits, Sugar andSpice, are hopping around waiting to meetthem. Little ones can also do a bunny-themedcraft activity.

Come experience the sights and sounds ofour farm waking up for spring after a long win-ter. Take a pony ride or climb aboard thewagon for a trip through green pastures for aview of spring blooms.

Do your best bunny impression while younibble on our spring treats at Pam’s Food Tent.Cookies, pies, crisps and more will tempt yourappetite. Grownups can enjoy a glass of wine inthe winery tasting room.

Admission and parking is free. For moreinformation call 609-924-2310 or visit

arly in spring we are out in the vine-yards pruning and training vines thatwill soon leaf out and grow heavy with

grapes for our wines. Terhune OrchardsVineyards and Winery produces 14 varieties ofwine. Reds and whites are made from our owngrapes and our fruit wines are created withapples from our own orchards. Our winery tast-ing room is open year round, Fridays throughSundays from 12 -5 p.m. for wine tastings, wineby the glass and light fare.

Spring Winery Events

We have special spring winery events forlovers of music, cheese, yoga and art. Relax withfriends while listening to local musical talentevery Sunday in spring from 1-4 p.m. for ourWinery Sunday Music Series.

On March 24-25, Fulper Family Farmsteadwill be here for Wine and Cheese Weekend.From 12-5 p.m. enjoy free samples of cheesesmade from Fulper’s own cows including moz-zarella, feta and cheddar. Cheese plates availablefor purchase to enjoy with a glass of Terhunewine.

In April, we will introduce new events thatpair Wine and Yoga and Wine and Paint.These interactive events will pair your creativityand movement with our delectable wines.

Celebrate mom with a fun day for thewhole family in our tasting room during theGarden State Wine Grower Association’sMother’s Day Wine Trail Weekend on May 12and 13. Moms taste for free all weekend.Choose from one of our award winning white,red and fruit wines. Our own bakery will sharespecial samplings to pair with the wines.

In June, our Sips & Sounds series willreturn on Friday evenings from 5-8 p.m. Startthose summer weekends off right with a glass ofwine, light fare and local music.

All winery events will be held in our newWine Barn. The large windows in the climatecontrolled barn are a perfect vantage point towatch farm life outside or view the stainless steelwine storage tanks and bottling line where areaward-winning wines are produced from estate-grown grapes.

The historic tasting room is open Fridays-Sundays from 12-5 p.m. Enjoy our 14 wines bythe glass or as a tasting flight. Bottles of ourwine are available every day in the farm storeand the Trenton Farmers Market on Fridaysand Saturdays.

Winery Sunday Music SeriesEnjoy live music and wine tasting in our

new Wine Barn and courtyard everySunday 1-4 p.m. Genres range from coun-try and bluegrass to jazz and rock. Nocover charge. Wine tasting is $7 per per-son. Wine by the glass and light fare areavailable.

March 11 – Michaela McClain March 18 – John PadovanoMarch 25 – Bill FlemerApril 8 – James PopikApril 15 – Brooke DicaroApril 22 – Kingston RidgeApril 29 – Acoustic DouVerMay 13 – Jerry SteeleMay 20 – Darla & RichMay 27 – James Popik

Children’s Programsat Terhune Orchards

e have two educational programsat the farm for children ages pre-school-8. Read & Explore pro-

grams are held on Tuesdays and Saturdays at 10a.m. A story is read to the group and then chil-dren participate in a hands-on activity. Themesin spring include Getting Ready for Spring;Composting; Birds, Nesting and Birdhouses.

Read & Pick programs are held onTuesdays with sessions at 9:30am and 11a.m.These innovative programs combine a hands onfarm activity with listening to a story highlight-ing a fruit or farm area. Each program includesreading of two stories and picking a container offruit or an activity. Topics include strawberries,cherries, blueberries and flowers.

Children must be accompanied by an adult.Programs last about an hour. Please see ourevent calendar for dates. Register online at terhuneorchards.com or call 609-924-2310.

Mar. 20 Read & Explore: Birds, Nesting& 24 and Birdhouses, 10 a.m.Mar. 24- Wine & Cheese Weekend, 25 12-5 p.m.Mar. 25 Winery Music Series, Bill Flemer, 1-4 p.m.Mar. 31- Bunny Chase, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.Apr. 1 Apr. 7 Wine & Yoga 10:30 amApr. 8 Winery Music Series, James Popik, 1-4 p.m.Apr. 10 Read and Explore: Getting Ready& 14 for Spring, 10 a.m. Apr. 15 Winery Music Series. Brooke Dicaro, 1-4 p.m.Apr. 21 Wine and Paint, 1:30 p.m.Apr. 22 Winery Music Series, Kingston Ridge, 1-4 p.m. Apr. 24 Read and Explore: Composting, & 28 10 a.m. Apr. 29 Winery Music Series, Acoustic DouVer, 1-4 p.m.May 5-6 Kite Day,10 a.m.-5 p.m. May 8 Read & Pick: Vegetables, 9:30 & 11 a.m.May 12- Mother’s Day Wine Trail 13 Weekend, 12-5 p.m. May 12 Pam’s Herb Class, 10 a.m.

May 13 Winery Music Series, Jerry Steele 1-4 p.m. May 20 Winery Music Series, Darla & Rich, 1-4 p.m.May 22 Read & Pick: Farm Animals, 9:30 & 11 a.m.May 27 Winery Music Series, James Popik, 1-4 p.m.May 29 Read & Pick Program: Monarchs, Swallowtails and Honeybees– Oh My! 9:30 & 11 a.m.June 1 Sunset Sips & Sounds, Jerry Steele, 5-8 p.m. June 5 Read & Pick Program: Strawberries, 9:30 & 11 a.m.June 8 Sunset Sips & Sounds, James Popik, 5-8 p.m.June 15 Sunset Sips & Sounds, Victor Tarassov, 5-8 p.m.June 19 Read & Pick Program: Cherries, 9:30 & 11 a.m.June 22 Sunset Sips & Sounds, Michaela McClain, 5-8 p.mJune 24 Firefly Festival, 4-9 p.m. July 7-8 Blueberry Bash 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

More details on all events at terhuneorchards.com

Calendar of Events – 2017-2018

Pick-Your-Own Schedule April—AsparagusMay—Strawberries

June—Sweet Cherries, Sour Cherries, BlueberriesJuly—Blueberries, Blackberries, Flowers

August—Blackberries, FlowersSeptember & October—Apples, Pumpkins, Flowers

Farm Store, Barn Yard & Farm Trail:Open to the public daily all year 9 a.m.-6 p.m., summer 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

Winery and Tasting Room: Open Fri-Sun 12 p.m.-5 p.m.School and Group Tours: April through November, by appointmentBarnyard Birthday Parties: April through November, by appointment

Private and Corporate events: Year round, by appointment

Find TerhuneOrchards Onlinewww.terhuneorchards.com

Facebook.com/terhuneorchards

Instagram @terhuneorchards

Twitter@TerhuneOrchardsPlease tag us in your posts #terhuneorchards

Farm Camp RegistrationOpen Now

Don’t miss out on a summer of fun onthe farm. Terhune Orchards offers twounique and educational farm camps forchildren ages 7-12 on our 200-acre pre-served farm. Certified by the State ofNew Jersey, our camp is led by our farmeducation director and a science andSTEM teacher.

Camper experiences includes inter-acting with farm animals, harvesting,cooking, and tasting farm fresh foods,exploring nature on the farm, playinggames and sports, STEM activities, and engaging their creativity in craftprojects.

Day camps sessions run, Mon.-Fri.over five weeks from July 9-August 10.

Reserve your spot online at terhuneorchards.com/summer-camp

n Sunday June 24, we invite you toan electrifying festival to celebratethe firefly. Held from 4-9 p.m., our

Firefly Festival is the only day of the year wekeep the farm open late so we can see this bio-luminescent bug light up the night sky.

Terhune Orchard’s preserved farmlands areperfect for viewing fireflies which are usuallyfound along the edges of wooded areas and nearstreams or ponds. While we wait for the bugs tostart their show, Miss Amy and the Big KidsBand will get the crowd up dancing, playinginstruments and having fun. Circus Place, NewJersey’s premier circus training facility, willshowcase their Youth Circus PerformanceTroupe at Firefly Festival. Watch their studentsperform aerials, acrobatics and juggle. Have funon a wagon rides or pony ride, playing on thepedal tractors and visiting the barnyard animals.

Kids can dress up as fireflies in our craft areawhere supplies are at the ready for paintingwings and making antennas. They can also dec-orate bug boxes to use to catch a firefly as thesun goes down. Don’t forget we are a catch andrelease firefly zone!

Don’t let hunger bug you. Have an old-fashioned farm supper at Pam’s Food Tent.We’ll be grilling up all your summer favorites.Save room for dessert! Our freshly baked treatsare ready to fly off with you on your adventure.The winery tasting room will stay open lateserving flights of wine, too.

Bring a blanket and lay down in the grass towatch the yellow glow of fireflies blink in thetwilight. We hear our apple cider donuts makegreat binoculars!

Admission and parking is free. Craft activi-ties are $5.

For more information call 609-924-2310 orvisit www.terhuneorchards.com

Firefly Festival

Plan a SpringFarm Tour

pring is a wonderful time forgroups to visit the farm. TerhuneOrchards offers a variety of edu-

cational walking or wagon ride tours for pre-kto elementary students, teens, and adults. Each1.5 hour tour is adapted to match the age andinterests of the group.

All educational tours include an experi-enced educator as your guide at our 200-acre,working family farm on preserved farmland.Groups will enjoy a hands-on activity, use ofplay area and snack.

Spring is a busy time for plowing and plant-ing in the fields and greenhouse. School groupswill learn about seeds and how plants grow, dis-cuss pollinators, water, soil soil and make somenew friends in the barnyard. Adult tours mayadd wine tasting as a package.

Tours are available by appointment fromApril through November. More informationand rates at terhuneorchards.com/school-trips.Reserve your tour in advance by calling 609-924-2310