Now is the time to buy that juicy and delicious apple, grown right here in your  backyard at Tilse’s Apple Orchard at Omadale Brook. 

Whether you prefer Jonathon, Granny Smith or Delicious, this year’s crop is one of the best in recent years and they are currently being picked and sold fresh from the orchard. 

Not only significant for its good season, this year is the 69th harvest for the father of Tilse’s Apples, Bryan Tilse, and the hard worker is still out there five days a week picking with his son Steven and other workers. 

The Tilse family have been growing apples for the past 85 years after changing from oranges, and at times have grown up to 3000 trees. 

This year they will pick about 30 tonne of fruit from 1000 trees from now until May, as the fruit is currently ripe and ready. 

On Monday, a team of four picked the Jonathon’s for the second time as they only pick the biggest and ripest each time they pick.

Mr Tilse (Steven) said the picking is very exclusive as they don’t pick all the apples in one hit.

“Every two weeks we come back and pick, which allows us to get the freshest, biggest and ripest apples to eat.

“This year’s pick is of a very good quality, these are the best Jonathon’s I have seen for about five years,” he said. 

“Last year we missed out on a crop because we had a late frost, so the apples are fresher this year.”

Tilse’s apples are only sold locally in Scone, Aberdeen, Muswellbrook and Singleton and they aren’t sold in supermarkets, as the family prides itself in keeping it local.

Mr Tilse reminded people that size and shape do not matter when selecting an apple.

“It’s the flavour that counts, it’s the ripeness and where it is grown that counts,” he said.