Today while doing some errands, I serendipitously drove into a shopping mall that was holding a very small farmers market. This market is part of the NJ Council of Farmers and Communities that ensures that farmers’ markets sell produce only grown in NJ (here is their website). The stand where I bought a number of different kinds of heritage apples was from a farm called Tree Licious Orchards in Western NJ (here is their website). The elderly farmer who sold me the fruit told me that his over 100 acre orchard is run by the 7th generation of farmers. Tree Licious Orchards specialty are peaches and apples, though they have lots of other fruit trees and produce. Right now they are so busy harvesting the trees they haven’t had the time to dig up their potatoes.
I asked for Winesap apples or Stayman Winesap apples- the preferred apple when I was young. The farmer told me that this year the Winesap and Stayman Winesap apple trees are in their glory, looking magnificent, filled with beautiful red apples. I am looking forward to their harvest- though I had always thought that the harvesting of certain apples like Winesaps was better done after a frost in order to give the apple the snap. You readers in the know can tell me if this is old wisdom or it is still true today. Most orchards seem to no longer be able to afford to wait till after a frost to do their harvesting.
You can pick your own apples and picnic at Tree Licious Orchards as well as at Terhune Orchards, located in the Princeton, NJ area. Terhune Orchard is another fabulous orchard with lots of different fruit, vegetables, flowers as well as their orchards where you can pick your own and where there is lots going on for kids of all ages.
Both of these orchards use IPM- integrated pest management on their produce (check out this website) – which is the least toxic way to go for pest management and preserving the best tasting fruit. Ask when you buy fruit if the farm uses IPM so that you know you are getting produce that has not been sprayed with too many pesticides.
The other day someone asked me where to go to pick your own apples. Besides the two orchards I mentioned, each state should have a good website that lists farms or orchards that allow you to pick fruit as well as buy fruit the farmer picked. For example, check out this this NJ the website.
In Maryland the website is this.Â
I am not going to check out each state for their apple orchard websites.
I love to pick my own fruit so that I know how very fresh the fruit is.
I am planning TheGardenLady.org blog to write about horticultural related items that appeal to me and, I hope, they will appeal to you, too. I also hope that the readers of this blog will ask questions that if I cannot answer, I can research or point you in the direction of where to find the information you need. My wish is that those of you who are interested in plants or something related to horticulture or gardening will also contribute to this blog. TheGardenLady.org blog is for you and me. We can explore interesting garden lore as well as facts. Together I hope that this, TheGardenLady.org blog can form one of the most educational, interesting, entertaining even inspirational blogs on plants, shrubs, trees, insects, animals, problems and solutions to gardening, etc.
Hi, I googled Tree-licious Orchards for another reason and came across your blog. I am the market manager for the very small farmer’s market in a shopping center on Thursdays that you mentioned.
We are sponsored by Montgomery Friends of Open Space and are planning for our fifth year of market this summer. We provide locally-grown (Montgomery Township) organic/biodynamic produce as well as Tree-licious produce, and hope to have organic, pasture-raised beef and pork, and local chicken. We are hoping to move to a more visible site this season, and hope you will visit us.
We’ll keep you posted on location, but look for us on Thursday afternoons from mid-June through October. Love your blog.
Lorette Pruden
908-359-4787