It is not going to rain HERE on Saturday-

UPDATE, Sat morning, Oct 21 - We're going ahead with the event today, Sat.  Other options look worse.  We got just enough rain to wet the grass this morning; but it's stopped and isn't supposed to start again until 7 PM.... See you there!
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Update Sun. 22: It didn't rain.  Except at 8 pm - 1.44".  :-)
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I've been watching all the weather predictions like a hawk all week, and in spite of a few weather sites saying casually "rain on Saturday", that's a major oversimplification.  It will certainly rain in Northern Minnesota, a little, tomorrow; but we're in the extreme SE corner, and often the standard predictions just do not apply to us.

This is one of those occasions - according to 40 years of watching weather and predictions- it is NOT going to rain here tomorrow - until after the sun goes down.  And it's likely that will be very light.  Sunday - it's much more likely we'll be wet.

Open House will be Saturday.   Fall color here is near peak- and gorgeous this year!

The neohybrid pecans, seen to the left, are a mix of very bright, and almost fully colored.  Some of the chestnuts are bright, though in most years they mostly fade quickly

Come and see!

Besides the cider and nuts - you'll see some of our livestock-for-mowing crew-

And they can be pretty interesting, too!  Check the information post for times etc.

October Open House - Sat. Oct. 21

Announcing: Another New Crop 

For The Upper Midwest

 From Badgersett Research: Hybrid Pecans

Tested on our Zone 4a farm in Minnesota for 30 years; our population of "neohybrid" pecans passed its final tests over the last two years.  We now guarantee they are completely cold hardy in zone 4a, and will consistently produce crops of salable nuts.

These are a brand new category of commercial nut; as can be seen in the photo, they are not identical to pecans, and consumers will need to become familiar with them.  We have test marketed these nuts for 5 years, with universal acceptance.

Our breeding process involves the scientific merging of multiple species, in this case the gene pool includes 3 species; pecan, shagbark and bitternut hickories.  From the pecan, these nuts get their thin shell, crackable with a hand cracker; and flavor.   The cold hardiness necessary to survive in Zone 4a comes from both the bitternut hickory, the most northern of all hickories, and from shagbark, which naturally grows very far north of where pecans can survive.  These trees have survived 43° below Zero twice without damage.

Come and taste them at our October 21 Open House!  We will have tours that feature these trees and how to grow them, and tours which feature our hybrid chestnuts.  Both nuts will be available for sale as well as tasting, and "pick-your own" chestnuts will be possible.

The hybrid pecan trees will be sold only under a "limited use" agreement.  While these trees are definitely ready for commercialization, the breeding and selection process is not "finished"; therefore we are not allowing other growers to sell trees from their plantings - without testing from us.  The detailed agreement will be available.

AND - Heritage Apple Cider Tasting - 

At Oct 21 Open House!

 Did you know we have an antique apple orchard here? Big, standard trees, which I grafted 35 years ago. And now- we have a cider maker- and PRIZE WINNING cider. Josh Landy, the artisan- is making some as we speak - which we will be TASTING here on Oct. 21.

These two medalists were single apple ciders. The Gold Medal is for a Jordan Russet cider.

Josh actually brought back 2 medals from that show; besides the Jordan Russet, he also won a silver medal for another single apple cider, from our Roxbury Russets.  Those are Roxburys in front of the bottle - and if you can't quite tell them from the Jordans above, you can be forgiven.  They're easier to tell apart in your hand than in a photograph.

Josh wins medals regularly; including "Cider: Best of Show" for the 2017 Minnesota Mashout competition for home brewers.  That one wasn't from our apples; but - next year?

Come, see, taste, and handle some!  The apple crop is abundant, and most can be tasted right in the orchard.

Details For Oct. 21 Open House

Open for tours from 10 AM to 5 PM.  Cider tasting starts at 1 PM, and formally last until 4 PM, although informal tasting later will be possible.

Rain Day - in the event Saturday 21 is rained out- we will run the event the next day, Sunday 22.  We'll announce here what the status is

This event requires an entrance fee.  Pre-registration before the 20th has a discount:

Pre-Registration: $25/ adult, or $45 per family.  Children under 12 free; 12-18 $10.

Registration at Entry: $30/ adult or $55 per family.  Children under 12 free; 12-18 $15.

All payments non-refundable; in the event of rain on the 21st, we will also be open on the 22nd.

To pre-register, please email megan.rutter@badgersett.com; include your name, address, email, and the number in your party.  She will email you back with payment instructions; usually via PayPal.


Check back for more information in the coming days!