News
ADDISON COUNTY — It was a good year for apples across Addison County.
Trees in Bridport, Middlebury, Monkton, New Haven and Shoreham produced a bumper crop in 2021, and in some cases those trees are still giving.
“It was a very good season for apples,” said Genevieve Boyer of Boyer’s Orchard and Cider Mill in Monkton. “And the weather was really good, too, except for these last few days, when it rained. But we needed that anyway.”
Boyer’s grows more than 50 varieties of apples, plums, pears and tart cherries, and while in season makes pressed sweet apple cider and hot cider doughnuts.
Each season, in addition to its pick-your-own operation, the orchard hires two seasonal workers from Jamaica to help with the picking and other work.
The 12-acre operation saw a lot of out-of-state folks this year, Boyer noted, including leaf-peepers and vacationers.
And a business decision she made in 2020 really paid off this year.
“We added credit card capability last year and noticed that people were willing to spend more money if they could use their card.”
And spend they did — on Honeycrisps, Russets, Strawberry Delicious, Jack-of-Reds, Fujis and Blondies.
“The Honeycrisps were really producing this year,” Boyer said. “And the Bosc pears, too. We have about four acres of those.”
The PYO (pick your own) season at Boyer’s (boyersorchard.com) wrapped up last weekend. Looking back over the previous two months, Boyer said she most enjoyed visiting with longtime customers, many of whom spoke fondly of Boyer’s late husband, David, with whom she grew the orchard business.
MIDDLEBURY, NEW HAVEN
“So many apples!” said Mary Pratt of Happy Valley Orchard, which grows on 12 acres in Middlebury and 20 in New Haven. “This was probably our best year ever for McIntosh.”
Overall the season was good, Pratt said, though it did have its moments.
“October was more rainy, so it was harder to get some of the picking done, and some apples dropped in a recent windstorm.”
And as with many other orchards around the state, Happy Valley’s four Jamaican pickers arrived a few weeks late, the result of unexpected national and international delays.
In addition to traditional varieties like McIntosh, Empire, Cortland, Honeycrisp and Red Delicious, the orchard grows many heirlooms and lesser known varieties, like Northern Spy, Spitzenburg, Rhode Island Greening and Newtown Pippin.
Most of the apples that aren’t PYO are sold to Citizen Cider in Burlington, Pratt said.
The season for Happy Valley (happyvalleyorchard.com) also wrapped up this past weekend.
“We used to stay open until Thanksgiving, but we would only really get business right before the holiday, and there’s no heat in the farm stand, so a few years ago we started closing at this time of year, and it’s worked out well for us,” Pratt said.
In addition to apples, this year’s Happy Valley farm stand featured cider doughnuts, a variety of produce from local growers and apple cider pressed at the orchard. Unlike in previous years, the latter was available exclusively onsite.
“We used to sell to some local stores, but we’re no longer doing wholesale,” Pratt said. “Now, for the two months that we do it, we only sell it at our farm stand.”
SHOREHAM, BRIDPORT
When asked about this year’s apple season, Bill Suhr of Champlain Orchards in Shoreham said simply, “We’ve been very grateful.”
Champlain Orchards, which acquired nearby Douglas Orchard last year, maintains 300 acres of tree fruit, including 70 at the old Giard Orchard in Bridport, which Suhr purchased six years ago.
“We had what I think is a record crop this year,” Suhr said. “It’s the largest crop we’ve ever brought in.”
Champlain hit its 2021 target of 150,000 bushels of apples, peaches and cherries — and counting.
“We’re still harvesting,” Suhr said Wednesday morning, noting in particular the Pink Lady variety, which is still going strong.
“They’re known for being able to withstand temperatures down to 25 degrees, and we’ve been fortunate with this long, benign fall, so they’re looking really beautiful right now,” Suhr said. “This is our third time picking through those trees.”
Champlain hired 57 Jamaican pickers this year, many of whom arrive before and stay after the apple season. Still, some of the seasonal pickers experienced the travel delays seen at other orchards.
Because COVID-19 is still with us, staff from Jamaica were tested before leaving home, tested again upon arrival in Vermont, and then received vaccinations through the Open Door Clinic, Suhr explained.
Last year, before vaccinations were available, things didn’t go as smoothly, and Champlain Orchards experienced a brief outbreak of COVID-19 that ended up affecting 27 workers.
As the 2021 PYO season comes to a close, other kinds of orchard work and planning have begun.
“We’re preparing to plant stone fruit at Douglas Orchard next year, and we’ll be looking to add odd and unique apple varieties to expand our season.”
More immediately, the orchard (champlainorchards.com) will be attending to nursery digging, with an eye toward making some of those trees available for sale next spring, Suhr said.
Looking back over this year’s season, Suhr said he feels good about Champlain Orchards’ place in the community:
“I’m enthusiastic that people are committed to sourcing their food locally, and we’re grateful for our customers’ loyalty.”
And the orchard is always looking for ways to learn from those customers and the wider community. One of the ways it does this is through an end-of-season survey. (This year’s can be found at tinyurl.com/ChamplainOrchards.)
“We’ve gotten a lot of constructive feedback on what people would like to see,” Suhr said.
In the past, Champlain Orchards has been prompted by survey results to diversify its varieties, for instance. The orchard now grows more than 140 varieties of apples.
“We think there’s a tremendous opportunity to help foster a community around local food — it’s our passion, our mission,” Suhr said. “And it’s not a one-way street.”
Reach Christopher Ross at christopherr@addisonindependent.com.
More News
Education Homepage Featured News
THE FLAGPOLE AT MUHSIndependent photo/Steve James MIDDLEBURY — More than 80 Middlebury Uni … (read more)
Education News
The Vermont State Board of Education (VSBE) is giving Ripton a two-month extension to nego … (read more)
News
Vermont opened registration Wednesday morning for kids to get their first dose of Pfizer’s … (read more)
"sweet" - Google News
November 05, 2021 at 02:16AM
https://ift.tt/3bIHR5a
It's been a sweet season for apples - Addison County Independent
"sweet" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2PcPlld
https://ift.tt/2KSpWvj
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "It's been a sweet season for apples - Addison County Independent"
Post a Comment