Bethel’s Blue Jay Orchards to Live on Under New Ownership

Yet another Bethel landmark is getting a new lease on life, after the sale of Blue Jay Orchards to a family that runs a similar enterprise in nearby Westchester County.

In late December, Ursula and Alex Covino purchased the 122-acre orchard and store at 122 Plumtrees Road – which has been in operation since 1942. There was true synergy involved in this sale: The Covino's operate Hardscrabble Farms and Harvest Moon Farm and Orchard, both of North Salem, New York. The Covino family will continue Blue Jay Orchards in its present form, though there may be some slight additions to its business mix in the future.

“We’re extremely fortunate to have the Covinos as a buyer for Blue Jay Orchards,” said Paul Patterson, Jr., who took the helm of Blue Jay Orchards for just over a year, after his father, Paul Patterson Sr., passed away in November, 2024. The property went on the market last August, attracted its buyer soon thereafter, and the final closing of sale took place December 29.

Added Patterson, “We could not be happier with this sale.”

Kevin Covino, the Orchard’s new general manager, intends to replant some of the orchards and install new fencing around the property. Beyond that, Covino has no definite plans for changes just yet.

“Our farm in New York operates much the same as Blue Jay does, attracting visitors for pick-your-own apples in the fall,” said Covino. “And we have no new plans for anything that will deviate from Blue Jay’s present operation as far as the land-use goes. When we replant, we’ll add new varieties that are much improved over the 20-year-old trees there now.”

Among the varieties under consideration are Evercrisp, Pink Lady, Fuji, Honeycrisp, and Braeburn. “We’re also thinking about planting some late-season peaches, though we’re not entirely sure we’ll do that yet,” he said. “Strawberries are another possibility.”

Covino also hinted at several new forms of “agri-tainment” that might debut in the next few years. “We do a hay-bale maze at Harvest Moon Orchards and that would be something we’d consider doing at Blue Jay Orchards,” Covino said.

Other possibilities will include hayrides, Halloween-themed features in the fall months, and perhaps a cornstalk maze. Longtime Foreman Chris Seifert will continue to help run both the orchard and the store. Siebert’s wife, Brenda, is an aficionado of cow-themed knick knacks and has for several years made herself a bit of a tourism attraction.

“She dresses up in a cow costume on the weekends during our busy season – known in costume as ‘Moocoun’ – and she gives out toys to kids and invites people to take selfies with her,” Siebert said. Patterson donned the cow costume several times as well.

Siefert noted that Blue Jay Orchards will also follow much the same operating schedule it always has, inviting people to harvest their own apples from Labor Day through Thanksgiving. The store remains open on a limited schedule between Thanksgiving and Christmas, especially for sales of the farm’s popular pies, cider doughnuts, jams and jellies, and other baked goods. These are especially popular for holiday gift-giving.

“Weather can be a significant factor in the days after Thanksgiving,” Siefert noted.

Covino hinted at the availability of an item that’s especially popular at Harvest Moon Orchards: Hardscrabble Cider. There’s one hitch: this variety of cider contains alcohol, creating a new set of regulatory requirements.

“We would like to get a liquor license to sell it here,” said Covino. “The issue is, we only want to make it in New York: We don’t want to have another cidery. Thus, we’d need a special liquor license to sell New York cider in Connecticut. I’ll be contacting a lawyer to see just what that entails.

“We’ve gotten lots of positive feedback from the community about the orchard remaining in operation,” added Covino. “Our paralegal said she has visited Blue Jay Orchards every fall for her entire life. She was thrilled that we will remain in operation.”

An element from the orchard’s history provides a clue to why the orchard is legally mandated to remain in agricultural use. Before he sold the 122-acre orchard to Paul Patterson, Sr., in 1985, Blue Jay founder Robert Josephy took part in the Connecticut Farmland Preservation Program, which was championed by late Governor Ella Grasso and was passed into law in June 1978.

Participating farmers receive a one-time payment from the state, the younger Patterson noted. Under the terms of this arrangement, the land deed permanently prohibits the land from being used for non-agricultural purposes – though the property remains privately owned. “That’s a fancy way of saying that it will forever remain as an agricultural operation,” Patterson said.

Paul Patterson, Sr., remained quite active in the day-to-day operations of the orchard until just before his death on November 16, 2024, at the age of 86. His wife, Mary, similarly remained active in the business. She died last October 16 after a brief illness; she also was 86 years old.

“My promise to my parents was to keep the orchard in operation, and with the sale to the Covinos I’ve done that,” the younger Patterson said. “It could not have worked out any better. Now, I’ll be able to go back to being fully retired.”

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