Apple Picking Season in Jordanville
On September 22, seminarians picked enough apples to bake 20 pies, bottle 155 gallons of cider, and fill dozens of jars with preserves. The apple picking was part of a general obedience blessed by Archimandrite Luke (Murianka), the abbot of Holy Trinity Monastery. Hieromonk Cyprian (Alexandrou) organized students into work groups.
Students collected apples from the monastery's apple trees with staves and baskets. The collected apples filled over twenty boxes. Srdjan Puskar, a second-year student, took a direct approach. He climbed one of the trees and shook it vigorously. The quivering tree let loose a flurry of apples.
The apples were then hauled into the summer kitchen. Some pious pilgrims worked very hard with the seminarians to bake pies and make preserves. One of the pilgrims said, “I am so very happy to have had the chance to do this. I didn't know I could.” The rest of the apples went to a nearby cider mill the next day.
Students also organized a barbecue for that evening. The weather in the afternoon was warm and sunny, but it soon changed for the worse. Undaunted by a little rain, the seminarians moved the grill into the garage and had the barbecue there. They enjoyed a dinner of hamburgers, hot dogs, sausages and seafood. The dessert was, of course, apple pie. Dinner was accompanied with the spirited singing of Russian folk songs. 
At evening prayers, Fr Cyprian commended the seminarians for their cooperation and hard work. He reminded them of Christ’s words: “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them.”
Article and Photos: John Martin