Inside the market, crates of Red Delicious, Jonagold, Honeycrisp and several other kinds of apples sit bagged and ready for purchase. Credit: Chloe McGowan | Lantern Reporter
This year, Lynd Fruit Farm is open for its 101st consecutive year.
The beloved Pataskala farm got its start in 1919, when co-owner Andy Lynd’s great-grandfather Alton Lynd packed up his wife Vesta and their seven sons and moved them from the Ohio River near Portsmouth, Ohio, to central Ohio. The mining industry that had once been strong in southern Ohio had moved to Minnesota, leaving the economy poor and in shambles, thus prompting the Lynds to make a place near the capital of Columbus and open a farm, Andy Lynd said.
For many central Ohioans, going to Lynd Fruit Farm to pick apples is a must on their seasonal activity checklist. For New Albany, Ohio, resident Mindy McCollister, apple picking at Lynd Fruit Farm is a family tradition that has been passed down with each generation.
“We used to come when my daughter was little and now we brought her daughter,” McCollister said.
During the months of September and October, the farm offers several activities for families, including corn mazes and wagon rides, Andy Lynd said. It’s their bread and butter time of the year, with their harvest of apples and pumpkins for sale.
“These two months are apple and pumpkin season, so we enjoy literally the fruits of our labor and so do a lot of other people,” Andy Lynd said.
Making a living off of growing products that people love makes you love doing it, Andy Lynd said. It’s this dynamic that kept their business and others like them going amidst the onset of the pandemic.
“Business has been strong starting in the spring when COVID began,” Andy Lynd said. “Growers across the country are reporting that starting back in the summer, the response to get out and go do something is strong, and our customers are thoroughly enjoying coming out to the farm, more so than usual.”
For Lynd Fruit Farm, 2020 marks 101 years since its opening. Credit: Chloe McGowan | Lantern Reporter
Even during a pandemic, Andy Lynd said knowing their community is making the effort to come out and support them is appreciated, and the farm’s efforts to ensure their guests’ safety showcases it.
New this season to the farm is the chance to pick apples seven days a week during business hours, Andy Lynd said. In the past, pick-your-own apple picking used to be offered only on weekends and would draw in huge crowds, Andy Lynd said.
This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, apple picking has been expanded to weekdays and is also offered at their second location, Blue Frog Farm in Johnstown, Ohio. Andy Lynd said the second location typically is not open to the public, but in order to space out the crowds and keep people distanced and safe, he opened it.
“We always have large crowds; our biggest challenge has been how to handle that,” Andy Lynd said.
Andy Lynd said that inside the marketplace there are giant overhead doors that are kept open, and guests and staff are encouraged to socially distance, sanitize properly and wear masks.
Bexley, Ohio, resident Kristen Berry said she felt safe while visiting and enjoying the farm. Berry said she stopped by the farm just for their Pixie Crunch apples but was pleased with how safe she felt inside the market.
“The way the layout is and the amount of space, you could really social distance, and there was hand sanitizer right when you walked in and throughout the facility. It definitely felt like they were taking as many precautions as they could,” Berry said.
For those who decide not to pick their own apples, the market offers curbside pickup for market orders and several different kinds of apples, bagged and ready for purchase.
Some of the ready-to-go apples include Red and Yellow Delicious, Honeycrisp, Jonathan, McIntosh, Rosalee, Melrose and Jonagold. Andy Lynd said guests should check the farm’s website for availability for each kind of apple.
The market also offers an array of locally sourced and Amish grown produce from peppers, squash, eggplant and micro greens to plums, pears and sweet candy onions, according to the farm’s website. Seasonal treats such as ultraviolet irradiation treated apple cider, candy apples, popcorn, Amish fry pies, homemade jams, salsas, butters and Ohio chestnuts are for sale as well. Also available for purchase is Andy Lynd’s personal favorite seasonal treat, pumpkin butter.
“Get a jar of pumpkin butter, a sleeve of RITZ crackers and just sit down and enjoy indulging yourself. That’s my favorite,” Andy Lynd said.
Located just outside the market is a Sweet Shop and Snack Shop booth where sandwiches, hot dogs and other seasonal treats such as funnel cakes, kettle corn and pumpkin donuts are available.
Andy Lynd said he plans to close the market in the middle of November. He said the market will reopen three days a month in the winter for Winter Warehouse sales. Lynd Fruit Farm is located at 9399 Morse Road SW in Pataskala, Ohio. The farm is open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
