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A Gallery of Growers (and Late-Season Apples)

Erin Robinson manages the orchard at Scott Farm Orchard, Dummerston, Vermont, one of the premier growers of heirlooms in the nation. (Russell Steven Powell)
Linda Mark, one of four daughters who own Wellwood Orchards, Springfield, Vermont, with their father, Roy. (Cosmo LaViola)
Jeff Sandness, co-owner of Buell’s Orchard, a fourth-generation farm in Eastford, Connecticut. (Russell Steven Powell)
Russell Braen co-owns Park Hill Orchard, Easthampton, Massachusetts, with Alane Hartley, where they grow nearly 100 varieties of fruit and host the outdoor sculpture exhibition Art in the Orchard. (Russell Steven Powell)
Owner Mark Tuttle in the orchard store at Breezeland Orchards, Warren, Massachusetts, where the Tuttle family has been growing apples since 1896. (Russell Steven Powell)

AN APPLE GROWER is many things:

A gardener first and foremost, of course, on a grand scale.

An arborist; while most grow other fruits, flowers, and vegetables, caring for trees is their primary concern.

An apple grower is a business owner and mechanic; a marketer and ecologist.

An apple grower is an artist, continually sculpting an ever-changing landscape throughout the seasons.

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ONE OF THE GREAT VIRTUES of New England’s small to medium-sized orchards, many of them family owned (some for generations), is that visitors get to see firsthand how their apples are grown, and often meet the grower — if he or she is not too busy.

Here are some of your apple-growing neighbors. We’ll feature more in future posts.

Click on the apple or orchard’s name to read more about it!

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THE 2022 FRESH APPLE HARVEST is nearly done, with late-season varieties like EverCrisp and Pink Lady (Cripps Pink) among the last to leave the trees.

While some smaller orchards and pick-your-owns are now closed, for many growers the season has just begun.

THIS IS A GREAT TIME to breathe the cool, crisp air in the expanse of an orchard, lightly perfumed with apples; to sip a tall cider, bake a pie, or simply crunch into a late-season Fuji or Mutsu (Crispin), or an heirloom like Baldwin and Northern Spy.

Crisp Macs, Cortlands, Honeycrisp, and a host of other New England apples are filling produce aisles in grocery stores and supermarkets for those who cannot make it to an orchard (the aroma is nearly as strong — and free).

Locally grown apples will be available throughout winter and spring. Be sure to ask for them!

Pink Lady apples, named for their outstanding color, is one of the last varieties to be picked, Rogers Orchards, Southington, Connecticut. (Russell Steven Powell)

Apples and colorful foliage are synonymous with a New England fall. Both remain in abundance at the orchard.

They no longer dominate the market, but Red Delicious remain a favorite among people who prefer sweet apples, Red Apple Farm, Phillipston, Massachusetts. (Russell Steven Powell)

Northern Spy apples, a late-season heirloom still coveted for fresh eating and baking, Averill Farm, Washington Depot, Connecticut. (Cosmo LaViola)
Even without apples the trees dazzle, Nestrovich Fruit Farm, Granville, Massachusetts. (Russell Steven Powell)
Rogers Orchards, Southington, Connecticut. (Russell Steven Powell)
Baldwin apples, Wellwood Orchards, are as bright as the foliage in late-afternoon sun, Springfield, Vermont. (Cosmo LaViola)
Locally grown Fuji apples, Scott Farm Orchard, Dummerston, Vermont, have exceptional flavor and store well. (Cosmo LaViola)
Jonagold apples, brilliant in color with explosive crispness and flavor to match, Green Mountain Orchards, Putney, Vermont. (Cosmo LaViola)
Cox’s Orange Pippin apples have an orange hue and complex flavor, Wellwood Orchards, Springfield, Vermont. (Cosmo LaViola)
Tiny crabapples are used primarily as pollinators but bring a special beauty to the orchard, Green Mountain Orchards, Putney, Vermont. (Cosmo LaViola)

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