Apples

Apples

Orchard

Our orchard is 5 acres with 250 trees. Our orchard is managed as a diverse permaculture ecosystem, full of a huge variety of perennial crops, wildflowers and grasses, and is Certified Organic By V.O.F. (NOFA-VT) We are working towards a low input, perennial based agriculture, modeled after nature’s complexity.   Interspersed among our fruit trees are plantings of herbs and flowers,— including mint, comfrey, chives, horseradish, mallow, chicory, lupine, Queen Anne’s lace, tansy, daffodils, yarrow, sweet cicely, bee balm, and garlic— which act as pest confusers and homes to wild pollinators and other beneficial insects.

5 reasons why to choose organic apples

1. Pesticides are toxic to consumers. The sole purpose of any pesticide is to kill living organisms. Apples are generally near the top of the Environmental Working Group, Dirty Dozen™ list because they contain an average of 4.4 pesticide residues, including some at high concentrations. and data shows a direct link between pesticides and: “brain and nervous system toxicity, cancer, hormone disruption, skin/eye/lung irritation, and even ADHD.” 

2. Pesticides and herbicides are toxic to farm workers.  Forbes magazine published an article last year that said: according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH),
“…pesticide-related illness is an important cause of acute morbidity among migrant farm workers in California. A few categories (organophosphates and carbamates, inorganic compounds, and pyrethroids) account for over half of the cases of acute illness…”

3. Pesticides are toxic to the earth and the bees: Organic farming alleviates many threats to pollinators, and organic farms support significantly more pollinators than conventional farms. We purposefully keep our understory wild as a habitat for wasps, spiders, and many other beneficial insects.

4. Organic apples are better for gut health: A recent study conducted in Austria and published in “Frontiers in Microbiology” found that conventionally grown apples host more pathogenic bacteria that can harm human health than organic apples. In contrast, organic apples are home to greater varieties of the “good” bacteria, such as probiotics that can promote gut health.

5. Organic apples taste better. There is an unbelievable taste difference between organic apples and conventionally-raised apples. “These are the best apples I have ever tasted,” is something we hear multiple times a season. Once you are used to organic apples, you can taste the bitter, chemical taste in conventional apples and there is no going back!

Varieties

Duchess, Peach of Montreal, Hurlbut, Cortland, Sweet Sixteen, Vermont Sweet, Chestnut, Transcendence, Oriole, Haralson, Marilyn, Wealthy, State Fair, Norkent, Norland, Red Baron, Honeycrisp, Cortland, Golden Russet, Honeygold, Fireside, Zestar, Lemon, St Edmond’s Russet, Snow, Melba, Red Astrakan, Antonovka,

Cider

We press fresh cider every fall, available on farm or at the Montpelier Farmers Market Sep1- Oct 31

Vinegar

Our apple cider vinegar is made with our own organic apples and aged in  oak barrels for at least 6 months.

Honeyberries

We have a planting of 250 organic Honeyberry bushes in our orchard. Also known as Haskap (Japan), Edible Blue Honeysuckle, and Zhimolost (Russia). The indigenous peoples of Siberia, northern Japan and northern China have long harvested the wild berries and prized them for their many health benefits, but cultivation efforts are relatively recent, beginning in the Soviet Union in the 1950s. Compared to blueberries, honey berries have 2X potassium, 4X calcium; 3X iron; 2X vitaminA; and 5X Vitamin C, and have exceptionally high levels of antioxidants The fruits are elongated blueberry-like berries that ripen in early June, with a unique flavor which has been compared to blueberries, raspberries, juneberries, black currants, and kiwis. They are great for eating fresh or can be used in pies, jams, pancakes, and muffins. The tender skins of honeyberries practically melt in your mouth when eaten, making them a wonderful addition to yogurt, ice cream, and smoothies. Contact us late June for upick schedule.