We are now entering the middle stage of our season, picking Vistas, Lewis and Merchants as well as Vegas which are a white cherry variety. The much anticipated Rons are also not far off now.
There is such an abundance of beautiful cherries this season and our visitors are coming back down to the pay station with big smiles and full bucket loads of cherries, reminding us about how lucky we are to live in the gorgeous Hilltops Region of NSW, Australia..
We also now have our Goldrich Apricots available for Pick Your Own. They are a large, oval-shaped apricot with firm, deep orange flesh, a fine texture and they too are of great flavour and quality this year. There is something very special about the taste of a sun ripened apricot picked straight off the tree.
In our Farmgate Shop we are selling our pre-packed cherries and apricots as well as our deliciously juicy peaches & and loquats.
We had a great time hosting a Cherry Pie Making Class last weekend. A delightful group from Canberra decided to surprise their friend for her 30th birthday with a day out at Ballinaclash and they sure did make a day of it. They did their pie making class, had a wine tasting, had a picnic, went picking, had some cherry pie & ice cream – the full Ballinaclash experience!
“My friends and I decided to visit Ballinaclash Orchard and Wines for the day to celebrate a 30th birthday. Under a two hour drive from Canberra, the countryside on the way to Ballinaclash was interesting and beautiful, full of livestock and rolling hills. When we arrived at Ballinaclash we were greeted by Cath, whose family has owned and looked after the orchard since the 1960s. Cath had everything organised for us to do a private cooking class and shared her family recipe for cherry pies. Cath showed us how to make shortcrust pastry and had a huge bowl of fresh, pipped cherries ready to go. Thanks to Cath, we managed to have heaps of fun messing around in the kitchen and our pies still turned out perfectly.
After that, we had a wine tasting experience and learnt about the history of Ballinaclash. The wines are named after Cath and Pete’s family members, including their six children who help on the farm, so you know you’re getting to experience something made with heart and soul. We bought a couple of bottles and set up a picnic for ourselves under the gum trees. After lunch, it was time to actually get out into the orchard and hunt down some cherries. Picking the cherries was so much fun, as the trees were laden with fruit and the cherries themselves were really easy to get to. There were lots of families with the kids having a ball, trying to pick many cherries as they could and tasting the different fruit varieties. Before we left, Cath had some slices of cherry pie and ice cream, plus tea and coffee ready for us.
If you’re looking for an escape from Canberra or Sydney, wanting to try some local produce, and bring home some fresh cherries for a fraction of the cost of the store-bought, I highly recommend Ballinaclash. We were made to feel so welcome and will definitely be back. Thanks to Cath and Pete for a fantastic day we will remember for a long time”.
A ride on The Cherry Express will be an option this weekend or you can choose to walk through the orchard if you prefer. If you are going on The Cherry Express you will be amongst the first people to try out our new, very fancy(!) Pick Up Station.
As always, Ballinaclash is never just about one thing and although our cherry & stone fruit season is in full swing, we are also in the background, lovingly tending to our grape vines. Everything has now flowered and there is vigorous growth across all varieties. We are happy to see that the new Fiano & Touriga grafts have shot and that there is new growth in our new block of Riesling & Shiraz.
In the shed, we are busy preparing tubs of cherry, peach & strawberry ice cream as well as prepping for cherry pies.
The bush setting picnic area is a great spot to take a break during your visit to Ballinaclash. After your picnic, head back to the Farmgate Shop and treat yourself to a slice of Cherry Pie & Ice Cream or a Cherry Ice Cream Cone.
We are open 7 days a week from 8am to 5pm.
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