Our 2018/19 fruit picking season has now finished with the last apples and persimmons being picked on Saturday (27/4). Thanks to all our customers for your support during what has been a difficult season with  some apple varieties not setting a good crop and others being decimated by cockatoos and bats.

We are currently erecting more netting over the front section of orchard which includes our old Jonathan trees, so we hope, God willing, with birds and bats excluded we will once again harvest a good crop of Jonathan apples.

At this stage we plan to re-open in December when the first peaches are ripen. If the cherries crop well we will also open for a few Saturdays in November for apricot and cherry picking.

Follow us on face book for updates and information about our bush tours and our orchard and blossom tours later in the year.

Keep healthy until the new season starts.

  John and all the Pine Crest Orchard team

Tomorrow, Sunday April 14 is likely to be the last day for pick your own until next season

Following a very busy week, with our persimmons being a big hit, we have very few Persimmons or Pink Lady apples left. We do however have lots of high quality Granny Smith apples which are now great for eating as well as cooking and will keep for 2- 3 months or longer if refrigerated. In fact we may open once more this season on April 27 for Granny Smith picking if we have enough fruit. Check our face book page for the latest information.

We have Pink Lady and Granny Smith apples and lots of persimmons  ready to pick.  God willing we will open April 6 & 7 and April 12 – 14. There are also chestnuts ready for picking up this weekend. We expect the first walnuts to be available next weekend (April12-14). There is no entrance fee. Pay for what you pick. We weigh, you pay.  We suggest you wear good suitable footwear taking into account the recent wet weather.

We also sell a range of ciders, apple juices, jams and honey from the shed

We will open Friday March 22, and Saturday March 23, 2019 after last weekends wet weather. With the persimmons ripening fast there will be lots to pick and there are still plenty of Quinces. Also expect some Fuji, Golden Delicious and Granny Smith apples and some Chestnuts. So come and enjoy our orchard for no entrance fee

Pine Crest Orchard will open for the 2018/19 season on December 15  with the first peaches. Plums, pears, blackberries and apples will follow. Open 9 – 5 each weekend God willing. No entrance fee. Most fruit $4/kg.

John, Erica and all our great Pine Crest Orchard team

It is mid March and mid season for apples with the Fuji apples great at the moment and Jonathan, Jonagold and Golden Delicious still available. Granny Smith start in 2 weeks (March 23) and Pink Lady 2 weeks later again, around April 6 God willing. We also have limited quantities of blood plums and Chinese pears for picking.

Birds, bats and black cockatoos have inflicted heavy losses on our non-netted areas so visitors will note extra netting and curtains you need to push aside to enter the netted areas for picking.

We have the first chestnuts for the year and they are terrific. Enjoy them in a variety of ways. Roast them, micro-wave them, boil them or add them to a casserole. They taste great.

Lastly, advance notice that we will be closed on Good Friday. If you among the massive crowd that visited us last Good Friday you will understand why. God willing we will open Easter Saturday and Sunday but not Easter Monday

Apple season is in full swing. We have the biggest crop of early Fuji ever and they are now ripe and ready.  The Jonathans are great now, and despite losing heaps to fruit bats because they are not under net we have plenty for you this weekend. Many Golden Delicious have also been lost to the bats but those under the net are now ready together with Jonagold and a few Red delicious. This weekend – Feb 23, will be the last for Gala which we have been picking since Australia day.

The pears have also suffered greatly from bats and apart from a few Chinese pears will finish this weekend.

Advance notice that we will be closed on Good Friday and on Easter Monday but God willing we will open on Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday.

Hope to see you soon and keep eating apples.

The very hot weather in January and the abundance of fruit bats has finished off the peaches early this year. Now the good news. The Gala apples are ripe and ready in great abundance and as they are under the netting you can pick them without having to compete with the fruit bats.  We also have new very sweet apple ready right now which is very appropiately called “Sweetie”. Williams pears are also ready and by mid February the Red Williams and Packham pears will be ready. Remember that these pears only ripen after picking and need a period of chilling in your fridge to induce ripening. For Williams 24 hours is long enough but Packhams require 7 days. We have a big crop of excellent apples this year so expect God willing to be open each Friday, Saturday and Sunday until the end of April.

First apples are now available for picking together with blood plums and peaches. We plan to open each Fri, Sat and Sunday until late April. Note we will be closed on New Year’s day (Jan 1). Gala apples are expected to be ready for Australia day (Jan 26).