Delicious Orchards in Colts Neck creating memories, traditions for over 100 years
By closing time on Wednesday, Delicious Orchards will have sold 50,000 pies this week and 40,000 doughnuts today alone.
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The day before Thanksgiving at Delicious Orchards in Colts Neck can be described as one part chaos, one part tradition and a lot of pies and doughnuts.
For the last six years, New 12 New Jersey photojournalist Ryan Beckman and reporter Jim Murdoch have made it their own tradition to capture all the controlled chaos on video.
By closing time on Wednesday, Delicious Orchards will have sold 50,000 pies this week and 40,000 doughnuts today alone.
“We really try and stay in our lane,” said Mike McDonald, of Delicious Orchards. “We try and do what we do well do, what people know us for, and we maintain that quality that people have known for over 100 years.”
Lines started forming early in the morning as Wednesday’s storms cleared up.
East Windsor resident Bob Kierner says, “I was concerned a little about the flooding, but I did watch News 12 in the morning. They showed us where it was flooding, where it was not, so I knew coming here wouldn't be a problem.”
With the bad overnight weather now a distant memory, the shopping began.
Delicious Orchards dates all the way back to 1911. For the last half century, the market has been run by the McDonald family. Wednesday of Thanksgiving week has long been the company’s busiest day of the year, with 300 employees staffing round the clock.
Michael Manhardt, of Los Angeles, says “What happened last night was I got on the red eye at 11:50 p.m. out of LAX, slept on the airplane. As soon as I landed at Newark, I got my rental car and came directly to Delicious Orchards.”
For many people, visiting Delicious Orchards is not just about the food, it's also about creating memories – seeing the entire experience of their operation, going home with a tasty pie and a sleeve of doughnuts, and creating new memories that last generations.
Joe Davis, of Hazlet, comes every year. “It's all about tradition," says Davis.
As busy as it is, visitors won't spend a lot of time waiting in line. This is something Delicious Orchards prepare for all year.
On Thanksgiving Eve, doors close at 7 p.m. And as always, the market is closed for the Thanksgiving holiday.
