Apple Orchards Ripe for Fruitful Season

Author: Kerry Kraus

One of the main perks of fall in Vermont is the apples. We all enjoy the crisp, juicy apples, whether in the dining halls, at the farmers' market in town or freshly picked at a local orchard. For these delicious apples, Vermonters have to thank the many local growers, some of whom have been perfecting the art of growing the fruit for over 100 years.

Jenny Blair of Stevens Orchard in Orwell, Vt., said that her farm has been around since the 1890s. "We have many old varieties, and most of our trees are 80 to 100 years old," said Blair.

Many of the local farms in Vermont also strive to be environmentally conscious. Meg Brash of Waltham Orchard said that her farm tries to use as little pesticide as possible on her trees. "Our apples are as close to organic as you can get," said Brash. Using less pesticide "not only saves money, but saves the environment as well."

Many different varieties of apple, such as the Empire, Cortland, and Macoun, have developed as the years-old apple industry has expanded. Nearly every local farm has one variety that is its own unique fruit, but almost all of these varieties have one common parent - the McIntosh.

The McIntosh itself accounts for 65 percent of the Vermont apple crop, while its relatives make up an additional 20 percent. An import from Ontario, Canada, discovered in 1796 by John McIntosh, the McIntosh apple became the most widely produced type in Vermont when an extremely cold winter in 1917 devastated most other varieties.

This season in particular has been one of the best, according to local growers. "It's been a great season so far, although it was a little late, since it was cold and wet in early June," commented Blair, whose farm boasts the Hume apple, another relative of the McIntosh. "But we have so many apples this year that they are literally pushing themselves off the trees."

Bill Suhr of Champlain Orchards, which grows McIntosh, Gala, Macoun, Red Cortland, Empire, Golden Supreme, Ginger Gold and Honeycrisp apples, noted that apples are "colored very well this year and there's an above average crop." Suhr pointed to specific weather conditions as beneficial to the crop. "Lots of rain helps the fruit size. Warm sunny days and cool nights help the color," he said.

Many orchards employ pickers from all reaches of the world. To the Yankee Kingdom Orchard in West Addison, Vt., a group of pickers from the British West Indies arrive in late August to pick the earliest apples, Paula reds.

Local orchards hold special events throughout the fall to attract tourists and local apple aficionados. Champlain Orchards will host a rain or shine bring-your-own-picnic and concert of fiddle tunes on Saturday afternoon. Yankee Kingdom advertises its Autumn Harvest Festival, offering visitors from Vermont and New York states the chance to pick, sample, bake into pies and cover with caramel any of their 10 varieties of apple.

Though the fruit itself is a delight, many orchards' claim to fame is their freshly pressed apple cider, generally made from McIntosh apples. And, as Yankee Kingdom puts it, "For those of you who have never tasted warm apple cider donuts, get in your cars, get on a plane and come find out what you've been missing."

Most all Middlebury residents take advantage of Vermont's bountiful apple harvest each year, from students snagging the fruit on the way out of Proctor to Middlebury residents stopping by the Happy Valley Orchard for an hour of picking.

Those who get up early enough on Saturday morning visit the Middlebury Farmers' Market, where they can buy straight from the farmers who gladly hand out fresh samples of their prized fruit. Farmers tell visitors to enjoy the apples while they're here because the season only lasts until early November.