GOOD NEWS: ŽELJKO RETURNS FROM SWITZERLAND AND A NEW QUINCE ORCHARD IS PLANTED

Good news is coming from Torino, a village near Čelinac. Another quince orchard has been planted.

PHOTO: Pixabay

Four years ago, Željko’s father, Stevo, planted 880 quince seedlings and 120 plum seedlings. The trees are in good condition, and the quinces have begun to bear fruit — this year they harvested one ton, while last year they gathered 400 kilograms.

Blueberries Coming Next

The Topić family has started producing brandy from their quinces, and that will remain their focus in the coming years. The work will now be easier, as the son has returned from Switzerland.

“Life there is no longer what I wanted for myself and my family, and home is still the most beautiful place to be,” Željko says, explaining why he returned.

The Trees Are in Good Condition

He loves fruit growing, and together with his father he worked on everything. They decided to plant another quince orchard.

“We planted 870 quince trees, and soon, on another plot, we will plant 300 blueberry seedlings as well. We bought the quince seedlings, just like for the first orchard, from the ‘Agromedžik’ nursery in Donje Crnjelovo,” he told us.

Final Goal – A Distillery

Before planting, all necessary preparations were done — from soil analysis to protective fencing around the seedlings to prevent damage from rabbits, even though the plot is already fenced. The Topić family’s ultimate goal is to have their own distillery and produce quince brandy, which has a good price and is in high demand.

The two-year-old quinces have already borne fruit, and now it’s time for irrigation — according to Stevo Topić’s plan.

From this year’s harvest, they produced brandy for personal use, and in the coming years they expect higher yields, as quince and blueberry are fruits that typically avoid late spring frosts.

The Topić family owns all the machinery needed for orchard work — from sprayers to even a small excavator, which they used to bring water to the old quince orchard. Irrigation will also be provided for the new orchards.