Apple expansion

Jay Clark and his wife, Tammy Soma Clark, owners of Apples R Us Orchard & Distillery, are seen Sept. 26 in Rochester. Joe Ahlquist / Post Bulletin

Another orchard planned at Apples R Us in southeast Minnesota

By Theodore Tollefson | Rochester Post Bulletin

ROCHESTER — Picking apples can be hard work.

So, when Jay Clark decided he wanted to retire on an apple orchard, he knew he needed a way to keep the work manageable as he aged, and to keep the revenue coming after the apple picking was done.

“When I designed the orchard I was 57. I knew we weren’t going to be climbing up ladders with picking baskets. I designed it so that I could do this in my 80s. It’s casual labor, and we’re the senior citizens crew here,” he said.

At 69, Clark enjoys the early years of his retirement working for his wife, Tammy Soma Clark, at her apple orchard, Apples R Us Orchard & Distillery.

Clark is not the only one in his 60s reaping the benefits of working for his wife’s apple orchard. The eight apple pickers who give their time are all 60 or older, with the exception of one.

Clark moved onto the property in 1995 after leaving the oil business, and spent the next five years clearing out the property to build the Speed Shop, a custom automotive shop.

He spent many years operating the shop and racing at Deer Creek Speedway outside Spring Valley. Clark is now retired from racing, but his wife still enjoys hitting the tracks every now and then during the summer.

Owner Tammy Soma Clark helps customers at Apples R Us Orchard & Distillery on Sept. 26 in Rochester.

Joe Ahlquist / Post Bulletin

It’s a good diversion while the apples grow. “We don’t want to pack year-round,” Clark said. “We always make sure all our fruit is gone by Christmas; what we don’t sell, we make into liquor. We go to Florida for the winter and come back between April 10 and 15 to start the next year of growing.”

“It’s all so I can get caught up on the harvest season,” Soma Clark said. “I have to crush, ferment and get everything ready so we can leave each winter. Last year, I crushed 212,000 pounds of apples to make liquor before we left for Florida.”

Apples are picked using a harvesting machine at Apples R Us Orchard & Distillery on Sept. 26 in Rochester.

Joe Ahlquist / Post Bulletin

When Clark and Soma Clark began the orchard in 2009, they had 300 trees planted; now they have more than 12,500, with plans to plant a third orchard section by 2024. The third orchard will be smaller than the two already planted and ready for picking on the farm.

“It takes five years for a tree to get to the point where it’s tall enough to pick a crop off it. We’re not planting anymore in our two orchards, but we’re creating the third orchard for some early varieties: First Kiss, Honeycrisp. We’re a full USDA, Minnesota Department of Agriculture licensed pack house — there are not many around here, just us and (Elgin, Minnesota’s) Wescott Orchard,” Clark said.

Once picked, apples from Apples R Us Orchard are sold off to all four Hy-Vee locations in Rochester, among other places.

Rum ages in barrels at Apples R Us Orchard & Distillery on Sept. 26 in Rochester.

Joe Ahlquist / Post Bulletin

Clark and Soma Clark have only been in the distilling side of the business for four years now, since Soma Clark secured a state distilling license for the business in 2018. The distillery has given a place for even the “bad apples” in batches to be put to good use, Clark explained.

“An apple with open marks or bruises, our computer sorts those out, and we can actually crush that for liquor.

We can’t crush it for cider, because when we crush for people to drink cider, we use unperforated apples that are washed and ready to go. But when we make liquor, we can use apples with marks and bruises, because we ferment it and distill it, so nobody ever drinks them, and helps to prevent any waste,” he said.

With the distillery and Speed Shop on the orchard farm, Clark and Soma Clark don’t always offer the traditional fall activities targeted toward families. Soma Clark pushes more focus on educating people and communities on the logistics and science of growing an orchard, but the couple doesn’t discourage people from coming to their farm for tours of the orchard.

Handcrafted spirits for sale at Apples R Us Orchard & Distillery on Sept. 26 in Rochester.

Joe Ahlquist / Post Bulletin

“If people want to see our workers picking, we’ll take them out to the orchard to see how our apple picking is done. We’ve been doing a lot more private events in recent years, as people have been really drawn to have their weddings on our farm,” Clark said.

The orchard is open for regular business or visits for those interested in stopping by. The orchard is open daily until Nov. 23, operating from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

The retail store inside the shed not only sells products from the orchard such as apple bunches, cider and rum, but also cheeses from Metz’s Hart-Land Creamery and an art stand for a local artist’s work to be sold.

In a year’s time, Clark and Soma Clark expect to have brandy ready to sell at their farm and to liquor stores. The brandy still needs to age the required two years before being sold under state law.