By Student Contributor, Kenneth Miller, Alvernia University
Pictured above: Kenneth Miller’s interview with Charity Martin, who lives and works on Orchard. Photo courtesy of Monica Miller for Kenneth Miller
If you are looking to have a fun-filled day, Brecknock Orchard is the place to visit. This orchard has many things to do where you can have fun, learn, eat homemade food, and create memories with your friends and family. This orchard is at 390 Orchard Road, Mohnton, 16 minutes from Alvernia University. I attended the spring festival on Saturday, April 19, with my family and had a wonderful time picking fresh fruit and flowers, trying homemade apple cider and pretzels, making my own honey butter, visiting the farm market, taking a wagon orchard tour, and learning about the importance of bees at the orchard.
Brecknock Orchard is open year-round and has many themed festivals through December that the community can enjoy. I was able to enjoy the spring festival, which occurred in April. There are still several festivals that are going on through the end of the year. The strawberry festival will be held on several Fridays and Saturdays in June. The peach festival is scheduled for Saturdays in August. The fall festival will be happening on specified dates in September through October. And finally, the Christmas Festival will be held on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
As soon as you turn in, you will find the farm market. There are many delicious and healthy options available for buyers. The staff were very friendly and greeted us when we came in to look around. There were so many options to select from, from homemade baked goods to fresh fruit and vegetables to jams, jellies, and butter. They also allow for taste testing of their fruit slushies, a popular item at the farm market.
Another popular section of the farm market is dedicated to bees and honey. As explained by one of the staff, bees are free to come and go and are an important part of their homemade honey process. You can watch the bees fly in, create honey, and then fly around the orchard, going from flower to flower.
The farm tour was also another exciting part of the experience. My family and I all piled into a wagon pulled by a tractor and took a 30-minute tour of the orchard. You get to see all the fruits, vegetables, and flowers, which are also available to pick on your own. Halfway through the tour, they stop and allow riders to get off to walk around the orchard, pick fruits or flowers, see the bee hives, and ask questions about the farm. At this point on the tour, I was able to interview one of the daughters, Charity Martin, who lives and works on the farm. Her brothers and sisters are the second generation in the family to be a part of the orchard’s day-to-day activities. Charity said, “I live here with my mom and dad, and I have two sisters and four brothers.” She went on to tell me about the activities available on the farm and items available in the farm market. She noted how bees are an important part of the farm process, from flowers to making their homemade honey, saying, “The bees are free to come and go. We do not bother the bees, so the bees do not bother us.” I was able to see live hives and honeycomb up close. It was a remarkably interesting learning experience.
The Brecknock farm can be enjoyed by both children and adults. They have a section of the farm just for young children where they can run around, play games, learn fun facts about bees, and enjoy a large playground where they can climb, explore, and use their imagination. A major theme of the farm is being family-friendly. I enjoyed my day at the Brecknock farm with my mom, dad, and younger brother. According to my mom, Monica Miller, “This is a very interactive orchard. I learned so much, and it was a fun time. The staff are friendly and so engaging with customers. I will be back during the Christmas festival.”
So, if you are looking to buy local or have the time to spend the day at Brecknock Orchard to enjoy great food, learn fun facts, shop, tour, and create memories with friends or family, this is the place to be. They have fresh options all year round to bring from the Orchard to your table.
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