So today is the day to visit the orchards that grow the delicious fruit that is used in the Lucky Leaf pie filling.
When you link of pie filling do you think of fresh fruit? Well I never did either until now. Did you know that the fruit that is used in Lucky Leaf cherry pie fillings are from cherries fresh from a cherry tree? Well more on that later.....
I was very fortunate to be able to go on a great trip to the
Lucky leaf Orchards in Peach Glen PA, check out the first day on the trip to
the orchards post. The second day would be the day that would be filled with
information and orchard activities. Myself and other bloggers were given the
chance to check out the activities of Knouse Foods/Lucky Leaf. What a great experience, one I will not forget.
The 2nd day started out early with a bus tour of
the cherry orchards, Gene Livelsberger, who is a field representative, gave us an
informative tour of the orchards. Lucky for us we came during cherry season, and
for those cherry lovers out there did you
know that cherry picking season is only about 2 weeks each season. Wow, the
farmers really have to get so much done in such a short window, Because of the
bad conditions in other states the cherry crop was a bit low this season, the
farmers for Lucky Leaf made sure to step up, and try to get out as many
cherries to the cherry lovers out there. But they will come a bit short. So if you see a rise in prices for cherry
filling, you will now know why, here is a tip, go and pick up some cans now
before the prices rise just to have some in stock.
We waked through the cherry fields, what a picture lover’s
dream. We walked through the fields learning out how they pick the cherries,
and tasting a few of the way (of course) the cherries were tart and sweet so
very delicious. So how do they get the cherries
off of the trees? Well they used to have to have several people at a time
gently grab at the cherry and have them fall into a bucket, and do this over
and over again to harvest the cherries. But not anymore, the cherry “picking”
is so much cooler these days, there is a
machine that shakes the trunk of the cherry tree and the cherries fall and
are collected. This is just amazing to see, you see the tree shake like crazy
and the cherries are off, it was pretty cool. I tried to tape this, but I was
using my camera wrong! Ugh! I wish I could have shared this cool process with
you all, but here is a picture to check it out.
The cherries are moved up the belt and are put in boxes of
ice to insure freshness, the cooled boxes are then sent up to the factory to
get ready to be pitted (by a neat machine that pokes a hole in the cherry so
the pit is removed) and get ready for your pie filling.
Are you like me, and never really thought that the fruit
came fresh from the trees and then is sent right to the factory for canning. I
just never thought of canned pie fruit as fresh fruit. But it really is fresh
from the orchard to the factory then to the cans the cherries are added, then
the other sweeteners etc are added this
is what make the filling extra delicious, and they cherries are cooked in the
cans and cooled labeled and sent off to the stores. It is a fascinating process
that makes me love the Lucky leaf brand even more.
Did you know that since 1949, Lucky Leaf has operated with three
CEOs, yes only three. That is amazing these days when you hear companies
changing hands all the time. We were
treated to a lunch Q&A with the CEO and the vice president of the company,
they were down to earth guys who loved their jobs. They were very informative,
and they seemed to enjoy asking us questions about us, as much as we enjoyed
asking them questions about Knouse. Another neat fact, the 1500+ employees of
Knouse many are family members, family that stays with the company because they
love the ideals of the company, they know that the products are quality. From
the strict quality control to the care that the farmers have to their products,
to the line workers who love where they work, and stand behind the product that
they make.
Here is a group shot of the bloggers, including ( from left to right) Paula – Bell’Alimento, The farmers daughter Sarah Lott, Susan W – DoughMessTic, Dawn – Not Just A Mommy, Alicia – The Mama Report, Me! – Susan’s Disney Family, Charley – Cooke’s Frontier, Randi – A Lucky Ladybug And the tall man in the back is the owner of the lovely cherry orchard Jim Lott.
We were also invited to the cold storage plant, and yes it
was freezing in there! We learned that the company can put apples to “sleep” by
taking most of the oxygen out of the air, and this can keep apples fresh for up
to 2 years (they have never kept the apples for 2 years though, mostly they are
kept for a year) here is a picture of the “sleeping” apples, a very interesting
way to keep apples fresh .
The room is 31-36 degrees this is the sleeping condition.
Putting them to sleep stops the apples from rotting, ripening or growing.
The great folks at Knouse are always looking for ways to
help the environment and these solar fields can provide up to 30% of the electricity
for the plant. That is wonderful, a way to help mother earth. Lucky Leaf s is
very environmentally friendly which is always great to hear. They really
use all of the cherry, even the pits! They try not to let a lot go to waste. With
the pits, they could be made into stuffing for pillows, like the kid you see in
the malls the ones you heat up to soothe muscle pain. Now that is making sure
you get everything out of an item, that is wonderful.
We were able to try various pie fillings from Lucky Leaf.
Some were old favorites, like apple and cherry. But did you know that they also
have a dark sweet cherry pie filling? Well I never knew this and I am so glad I
know now! This pie filling is simply divine. The dark sweet cherry pie filling
from Lucky Leaf is by far my favorite pie filling flavor of all time! You
simply have to pick this up if you see it. I have never seen this flavor locally
but I hope I will in the future.
Apricot filling anyone, lemon filling? Raisin? Yes raisin,
and it was delicious. What a great selection of pie fillings, and they were all
sweet and delicious. I am looking forward to trying some new flavors in some
new recipes in the future, make sure to check back the my blog to find some
more great Lucky Leaf recipes in the future.
Knouse Foods provides most of the country with the
Musselman's and Lucky Leaf Brands, the company and plant is so large that they
have their own zip code! Peach Glen PA is primarily Knouse foods, isn’t that
amazing?
Knouse Foods, is a grower owned cooperative. If you do not
know what a grower owned cooperative, this is when the growers own the
business, you can’t buy stock in Knouse foods, because the growers own it. It
is a great thing, you really find farmers
love what they do, and they want to give you the best products that they
can give. And it is nice to see that
family owned companies are still out there, it was nice to see this.
It was a great trip and I wish that I could go back, I had such a nice time. I just want to thank Lucky Leaf, they were amazing, and everyone running the trip was very nice and helpful. After I returned I was in a baking mood, and I made some Sweet Summer Strawberry Muffins using Lucky Leaf strawberry pie filling… I will be posting the pictures and the recipe soon. Stay tuned!
I hope you enjoyed my picture trip through the orchards as much as I did.
Make sure to check out the great recipes on the Lucky Leaf site, and like them on Facebook and follow them on twitter for more information.
Disclosure: The reviews and or opinions on this blog are my own opinions . Lucky leaf provided me with the trip to the orchards. Lucky Leaf generously paid for my hotel stay, food, etc. Even though I did receive a free stay, all opinions are my own. No monitory compensation was received. I was not required to write a positive review. Your experience may differ. The opinions I have expressed are my own I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsement and Testimonials in Advertising .
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