One of my favorite photos on the Wolff’s Apple House Web site is the picture that tops the “Recipes” page. It depicts Kenneth and Gennie Wolff, the third generation owners of Wolff’s Apple House, in Spring 1955. On a blanket spread in the midst of their orchard’s picnic grove, Gennie Wolff kneels, overseeing the picnic details. Her husband, Kenneth, sits next to her.
Six Wolff cousins sit in the foreground, though their motionless sitting is clearly only the camera’s trick, the way it catches them and holds them still. Enjoying the day clearly means moving, and, if I imagine the frame continuing, they would be chewing, tearing blades of grass, and swinging that thermos high in the air.
The picnic looks idyllic, just like most picnics in my life have been. It’s no wonder picnics are a symbol of leisure and joy. The sun and the breeze, the way lemonade or iced tea perfectly quenches the thirst brought on by the sun’s heat or the day’s game of kickball, the taste of sandwiches or burgers once the great outdoors has helped you work up an appetite: these are some of the picnic’s pleasures.
Scrolling down just a bit on the recipes page below that Wolff family picture will make a Memorial Day picnic even more delightful. There, you’ll find simple recipes, designed to bring out the flavors of fresh summer produce. Some are Wolff family classics, like our Guacamole or our Simple Tomato & Mozzarella Salad, and some are user-submitted deliciousness, like Shaved Zucchini-Fennel Salad (Zucchini, Fennel, Almonds and Asiago? Yes, please!) and Roasted Tomatoes with Fresh Basil and Mozzarella (Simple roasted goodness!), or, if your picnic includes grilling, Grilled Potatoes with Chevre and Cilantro Vinaigrette (Goat cheese and potatoes: I’m sold).
We have a store full of local tomatoes straight from Leola, PA, just waiting to grace these recipes. We even have local basil, and local zucchini, too, fresh from the vines of Vineland, New Jersey.
If it’s an easy picnic you’re in the mood for, let our chef, Chuck Smith, supply the picnic food through our line of prepared food. This Memorial Day, we have an array of salads, spreads and sandwich fixings all made using the top-quality, hand-selected produce from our store. Choose from:
Potato salad
Macaroni salad
Greek pasta salad
Coleslaw
Asian slaw
Fruit salad
Chicken salad
Salsa
Hummus
TWO kinds of pulled chicken and pork: Apple BBQ and Carolina-Style BBQ
So, find your own picnic grove or beach-side table and enjoy a leisurely Memorial Day!
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Read more about the picnic grove and life growing up on the Wolff farm in Chuck Smith’s February blog.