8 years ago, Brandee and I, and our two boys, Derek and Lucas, stumbled into apple country in Gays Mills. While driving we saw a sign for “Pick Your Own Apples” and figured this would be great. We actually brought a wagon for the boys, just in case we needed it. Derek was 3 and Lucas 2 at the time. A wonderful husband and wife greeted us at the stand and explained the process. We walked down to the Cortland/Spartan break and loaded up the wagon with a couple bushels of apples. The next year we travelled back again and this time with our newborn daughter Peyton. We continued to make this a family tradition and brought others around to enjoy the time with us. Derek and Lucas were even on the cover of their brochure one year. Many have been the recipients of Brandees’ wonderful apple pie bars and apple pies. They are amazing.
2 years ago when we arrived there, we were told that the wife was pretty sick. She had cancer. Last year marked the first time since 2006 that we did not stop there, with Derek’s death. This past weekend we stopped back, discovering that she had passed away from cancer a couple months before Derek died. She was a very kind woman and their family is also very kind. On Saturday, when we finished picking, they only wanted to charge us for 1 bushel but we paid for a couple, as we had a large tote. When we left, we paid for two other families to have some apples on Derek. I encourage everyone to give apple picking a try at Starry Ridge Orchard. It is a great experience for the young kids.
Steve Lendosky
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