ALTO PASS, Ill. – Rendleman’s Orchards offers everything a person seeking an agritourism trip could ask for. Nestled in the Shawnee Hills and owned by Wayne and Michelle Sirles, the orchard has been in the family since 1873.

Visitors can enjoy shopping at the farm market, which offers orchard produce as well as specialty food items. A peach smoothie and fresh apple cider slushies during seasons are refreshing and tasty. Young visitors will enjoy the fancy chicken coop with a large chicken run, with a chunnel bridge to goats. There is a bee apiary and amazingly beautiful flower fields perfect for pictures. Flowers may be selected and purchased to take home.  In the fall, u-pick pumpkins will also be available with a special Goth Pumpkin this year.

With the flowers is a monarch garden that has been certified. The entire farm has also been eco-certified as well.

Best of all, most all these stops have placards to educate visitors about farming. “Most anyone, if they are not a farmer, is disconnected from the farm,” Michelle Sirles explained. “Back in the day almost everyone had a connection to a family farm. They would go stay with their grandparents or aunt and uncle who were funning the family farm. That is not the case today. Many people do not have a farm connection in their family anymore. We plan to continue sharing Ag education opportunities here at Rendleman Orchards.”

With this change in mind, educating visitors, especially the youth, is a very important part of her agritourism education experience. Being a sesquicentennial farm, the Rendlemans recently went through the arduous process of adding several buildings to the National Register of Historic Places. In fact, the farm has been designated a Historic District. The placards help tell the story of the Rendleman family on the farm. “We did the history of all the structures. Thirty-one out of 40 met the National Register criteria. Before Highway 127 came through, a gravel road was the main road,” Michelle added. 

They have a Cottage at Rendleman’s managed through Southern Illinois Vacation Rentals. Built circa 1920, the house is a family one that has been converted into vacation rental property. With two bedrooms and more, there is even a taj mahal of a chicken house for visitors to enjoy. Golf cart rental is also available to peruse the orchards during a stay.

While they offer a nice selection of gift items and produce in their gift shop, Rendleman’s is a working 512-acre orchard with peach, nectarine and apple orchards. For those looking to have fruit shipped, they offer a gift box sent right to a home. The farm manager Rick has been with Rendleman’s since he was 18. With two teams, farm workers harvest the crop in season with two crew bosses that have been on staff for over 40 years. For years, Michelle  said that her mother-in-law was the team boss.

Michelle explained that harvest is like a synchronized dance where everything is timing. “Tractor drivers are critical,” Michelle said about the wagons the drivers pull up to keep the fruit moving from orchard to packing house. “It is a big responsibility. They have to keep up with the fastest picker who sets the pace.”

Using old Ford tractors, they fill up the boxes using a system that Michelle said was passed down for decades. “Originally the wagons were pulled by mules. Each worker carries a 25-pound bag and a ladder. The bags and ladders are personal because each picker adjusts them to his own work style. Trees are picked several times, allowing unripe fruit to finish on the tree. 

The trees offer their own protection from the elements. “Peach and nectarine leaves protect the fruit from hail. Trees are pruned like a hand; they are open inside. Branches for peaches are like a bowl, then the sun can get to the center.”

When orchards are planted, they are planted by hand, and hand staked. During the winter many workers help keep the buildings and agritourism stops well maintained.

Rendleman’s Orchards is open the end of June to the end of October, Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. The rest of the year they are open by appointment. To learn more about the orchard, visit their website at https://rendlemanorchards.com.