By ELLEN KOLMAN - ekolman@starbeacon.com
Star Beacon
SHEFFIELD TOWNSHIP —
It was a family visit to an apple orchard more than 21 yeas ago that began the Brants’ own love affair with the apple.
Roy and Debbie Brant of Brant’s Apple Orchard, 4749 Dibble Road, are celebrating 21 years of providing fall family fun with their hand-picked apples, cider making and fresh baked goods.
“We always blame our youngest child,” said Debbie Brant. “She (Morgan) was 9 or 10 years old when we visited an apple orchard in Mansfield, and she said, ‘Why can’t we do this every day?’”
Soon after the fateful trip to the Mansfield orchard, the Brants saw an ad in the Cleveland Plain Dealer for an apple orchard for sale in Ashtabula County. The Brants purchased the planted orchard property, on Dibble Road, in 1990.
“This is truly a family business. Our three children have worked hard over the years, right alongside their dad and I,” Debbie said.
The children are Trevor Brant, and his wife, Natasja; and Kelly (Brant) Tarsitano and her husband, Ken, all of Ashtabula County. Morgan (Brant) Emberley and her husband, Ryan, reside in Florida.
“Although Morgan lives in Florida, she comes up during the market season to help, just because she loves it,” Debbie said.
Roy and Debbie’s siblings and parents still help out whenever they can.
The orchards span 13 and a half acres and include 21 varieties of apples, plus three varieties of Asian pears and seven varieties of table grapes.
Brant’s Apple Orchard is open to the public Aug. 15 through Thanksgiving, when people come to experience the sights, smells and tastes of the apple orchard.
Also available at Brant’s are items made fresh daily in the bakery, including pies, turnovers, doughnuts, muffins, scones and cookies. Don’t forget Brant’s cider and cider slush made with handpicked apples, specially blended for flavor. Plus, the market also offers cookbooks; caramels; jellies; accessories, including peelers and specialty old-fashioned strainers; and other gourmet items.
“We try to keep everything we sell from Ohio,” Debbie said.
Cider is pressed a couple times a week on Brant’s press, which is more than 100 years old.
“It is too hard to schedule apple pressing. We press when we need to. So if people are here when we are pressing, they are welcome to watch,” Roy said. “Pressing apples is very labor-intensive on our old press, but it is fun.”
“Our son, Trevor, is the one who has the talent for blending the apples for the best flavor, and since we do it all by hand, it makes blending easier,” Roy said.
An apple orchard requires year-around care, which includes pruning from Jan. 1 through the first week of May, Roy Brant said.
“The apples begin blossoming in May, and then we start back pruning a few weeks after that,” Roy said. “Spring pruning stimulates growth, but summer pruning does not as much.”
“I like the pruning a lot, but I enjoy the contact with the people in the market just as much,” he said.
“We really miss the people during our break,” Debbie said. “I love it when see our customers during the off season and they say, ‘Wow, I can’t wait to taste one of your doughnuts again.’”
Part of the Brant’s appeal are the country setting with tables and chairs for patrons to relax and soak up the atmosphere while sipping their cider and eating a baked good, and the added decor of the seven potbellied stoves, old cider presses and the colorful displays of the apple varieties and gourmet items.
Traditionally, Brant’s welcomes school groups during September and October to educate children on growing apples and cider production.
“We typically schedule one school group at a time, so they can see everything,” Debbie said.
Brant’s Apple Orchard is within close proximity to several covered bridges, including the longest covered bridge in the nation, the Smolen-Gulf Covered Bridge. This is especially convenient during the Covered Bridge Festival, which is the second weekend in October.
Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. For further information, including estimated harvest dates, look online (www.brants appleorchard.com) or call 440-224-0639.
