By Callum Ludwig
Sanders Apples in Three Bridges have been hosting their fifth annual U-Pick Kanzi apple days over the Labour Day weekend, and visitors have one more choice to take their pick of the fresh fruit.
Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 March are the last two days the orchard will be open for picking, from 10am to 4pm at 1020 Yarra Junction-Noojee Road.
For the Sanders family, the orchard has always been a family affair. Kate Sanders is the 4th generation of Sanders to work on operating the orchard, starting with her great-grandfather.
“He came over from the UK and he opened our first apple orchard in Doncaster. In 1976, my grandpas moved us out to Three Bridges when Doncaster started becoming more suburbia,” Mrs Sanders said.
“The Yarra Valley is a great area to grow apples, as they really enjoy the occasionally wet climate as well as warm days and cooler nights.”
U-Pick events, a beloved tradition amongst farms and orchards in the Yarra Valley, provide a way for residents to enjoy and support the abundance of local produce.
Mrs Sanders said it’s become increasingly important to people to support businesses in their area, and to discover the work that goes into producing the fresh fruit on supermarket shelves.
“It’s a really great opportunity for people to come out, especially those who live in the city, and understand how apples are grown and all the effort that goes into producing fruit. I think people forget how much effort, time and energy goes into producing a single piece of fruit when they buy it from the supermarket,” she said.
“We usually focus on selling commercially so it’s really nice to see people come out and want to learn about the process and experience picking an apple fresh off the tree. You can’t beat it.”
Bookings for apple picking are not required, tickets can be purchased at the orchard. Pre-booking for the popular tractor rides is advised and can be done through the Sanders Apple website.
