Heirloom Orchard

It has been ten years since we started our little orchard. In 2004, tempting climate and altitude, we planted two strains of cherry trees (Bali, Montmorency) and three strains of apple trees (Sweet Sixteen, State Fair, and Haralred). In past blogs I’ve written about the trials and tribulations, challenges and failures, and the joys and successes.
     Orchard comes of age
     Keeping up with summer’s chores
     Orchard fencing

Not ones to learn from our past frustrations, we decided 2014 was the year to start our heirloom orchard. Don spent a good part of the winter researching various strains and the nurseries that carried them. Our goal was not so much to create another production orchard as it was to continue these wonderful old strains of apple trees and test them at our less than ideal location (for fruit trees anyway).

Don settled on four strains, all zone 3 or 4 though untested at 8000+ foot elevation, and purchased them from Trees of Antiquity. The bareroot trees arrived in early May, just in time for three nights of 20 degree temperatures. We had already decided that we would start the youngsters in large pots of good quality soil before planting them in the ground this fall so we hustled them into the old cabin where they waited out the cold nights. We have ordered bareroot shrubs and trees in the past and are always a little disappointed by how small they are, looking more like sticks than trees. I was stunned to see how robust and healthy these trees from Trees of Antiquity were.

So here are the new heirloom additions to the orchard:

Rambour Franc (c1535): A 16th century French apple popular with American colonists. Rambour is a French name given to certain varieties of red apples of a large size. Crisp, very juicy, breaking flesh, a great apple for early season eating out of hand and also good for sauce. Large red fruit, bright striped. Precocious, vigorous, hardy and productive tree. Displays some resistance to scab and fireblight.

Bloom: Midseason
USDA Zone: 4,5,6,7,8,9
Pollination: Select another midseason bloom apple variety
Fruit Storage: Fair
Mature Size: Large
Ripens: Early
Uses: Fresh eating/ dessert, cooking (puree, applesauce, apple butter), baking
Rootstock: Semidwarf

Snow Apple (c1739): From Canada and also known as Fameuse, Snow Apple is one of the oldest and most desirable dessert apples, a parent of the aromatic McIntosh. Flesh is tender, spicy, distinctive in flavor, and snow white in color with occasional crimson stains near the skin. Very hardy, heavy bearing tree that is excellent for home orchards. Delicious fresh off the tree, in cider, or in culinary creations.

Bloom: Midseason
USDA Zone: 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
Pollination: Select another midseason bloom apple variety
Fruit Storage: Fair
Mature Size: Medium
Ripens: late
Uses: Fresh eating/ dessert, cooking (puree, applesauce, apple butter)
Rootstock: Semidwarf 

Cox’s Orange Pippin (c1830): Highly esteemed in England as a dessert apple; produces excellent fruit in cooler summer climates. Medium sized apple, red and yellow, usually striped. The flesh is yellow, firm, crisp, very juicy, richly aromatic and some say almost spicy. Flavor is enhanced when fruit ripens off the tree. A heavy bearer and one of the best apples for espalier.

Bloom: Midseason
USDA Zone: 4,5,6,7,8,9,10
Pollination: Select another midseason bloom apple variety
Fruit Storage: Fair
Mature Size: Medium
Ripens: Mid Season
Uses: Fresh eating/ dessert, cooking (puree, applesauce, apple butter), baking, juice/hard cider
Rootstock: Semidwarf 

Smokehouse (c1837): Smokehouse is a seedling of the ancient American variety, Vandevere. Smokehouse originated in Lampeter Township, PA about 1800's adjacent to William Gibbons’ smokehouse. Tender, but firm, exceedingly juicy, yellow tinged flesh. Fresh cider flavor. Young, productive bearer and a reliable cropper. Flattish, red-striped yellow fruit. Hardy to -40 degrees F. Excellent keeper, very good quality apple for multiple uses. Shows some resistance to fireblight.

Bloom: Late
USDA Zone: 3,4,5,6,7,8,9
Pollination: Select another late season bloom apple variety such as Grimes Golden and/or Newtown Pippin
Fruit Storage: Excellent
Mature Size: Medium
Ripens: Late
Uses: Fresh eating/ dessert, cooking (puree, applesauce, apple butter), baking, juice/hard cider
Rootstock: Semidwarf

Wish us luck!

From Fleur Creek Farm