Orchard apples in the Triangle (Chapel Hill, Henderson: chapel, home, to buy)

[Jdatlas]

To me Fall means apples picked fresh off the tree. I know there aren't many apple orchards in NC but are there any stores or markets in the Chapel Hill area that sell the tasty orchard apples, especially Cortlands? There's a big difference between a fresh-picked apple and one of those wax covered apples from the supermarket that have probably been in storage for ages.

[solarity]

I love it here but this time of year can get a bit tough. I miss apple picking. The apples here (even fresh ones from the farmers market) just don't compare to fresh picked apples back in NH. Plus the whole apple picking experience is so much fun...fresh bread, maple syrup candies, pumpkins and fresh donuts, apples straight off the tree. Then you eat fresh apples and apple crisp all fall. I miss it . My husband doesn't like apples but I'm convinced that will change once he's had the "whole" experience. Next time I go home it will be a fall trip.

[alice_61]

Southern apples generally aren't as good as Northern ones and generally don't keep as well. The better apples just require more winter chill. The cheapest way I could find to buy apples in the Triangle in the early 1980s was to buy them buy the case at the NC Farmer's Market. The apples were the usual varieties (Red and Golden Delicious) from the NC mountains (Hendersonville). Maybe they have started to grow some more interesting varieties. I miss living close to the orchards in PA. We'd get fantastic apples for $12-14/bushel.

[gamsauer]

You guys are making me want to go back to New England now!

[MAtoNC!]

Apple Festivals in the U.S., Canada and Britain!

Brushy Mountain Apple Festival -
North Wilkesboro, NC. Event dates: October 1, 2005. The Brushy Mountain Apple Festival is one of the largest one-day arts and crafts festivals in the Southeast. The Brushy Mountain Apple Festival is not just this club's largest fundraiser, but has become a one of Wilkes County's biggest fundraisers. Over 100 civic, church and other non-profit organizations participate in the festival. Over 160,000 people visit this festival during the day and it's FREE.
Eden Apple Festival -
201 E. Meadow Road, Eden, NC 27288. Phone: 336-627-5148. Fax: 336-623-2730. Contact: Janet Lester. Event dates: 10/15/2005 to 10/15/2005.
North Carolina Apple Festival -
Hendersonville , NC. Labor Day weekend! Schedule of events. Ongoing entertainment will be staged in front of the Historic Courthouse on Main Street, beginning at 9:30 or 10 a.m. each day and continuing until 10 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Some seating is available, but festivalgoers may want to bring chairs.

[alice_61]

I believe that the Hendersonville area has the highest production of apples in the state, so an apple festival would definitely make sense there. The other ones around Mt. Airy make sense geographically since it is near southwestern Virginia, which has tons of apple growing. (Fruit growing is desireable on Southeast facing foothills, which are found in the Hendersonville and the Stuart, VA area. The slopes keep cold air moving to avoid frost. The mountains to the West block cold air masses and keep the trees from budding out too early in strong afternoon light and heat.)

Our neighbor in Chapel Hill gave us several very tasty Oriental pears from several old trees in his yard. The pears are slightly tangy, crisp, and sweet. Oriental pears are very good for home planting because the don't require spraying. The foliage is susceptable to fire blight but it doesn't usually kill the whole tree; it just causes some die back. There are also resistant varieties. We plan to develop a home orchard and definitely have Oriental pears and figs on the list. We are also planning to have Oriental and native persimmons, plums, Southern apples, and plenty of berries.

[MikeJaquish]

Arkansas Black apples from the State Farmers' Market are superb for cooking, applesauce, etc.
And they come from the mountains.
If you find yourself in the Triad, the State Farmers' Market on the other side of Grensboro on I-40 is a little closer to the orchards...

Now if I just had a peck of Northern Spy apples to mix with them...

[Jdatlas]

Mike,

I'll definitely keep my eyes open for the Arkansas Black apples.

The next person to move down here from the Northeast should bring a carload full of orchard apples with them. I think they would find a lot of customers down here.

[MikeJaquish]

Originally Posted by Jdatlas

Mike,

I'll definitely keep my eyes open for the Arkansas Black apples.

The next person to move down here from the Northeast should bring a carload full of orchard apples with them. I think they would find a lot of customers down here.

I don't pine away for the North a lot, as I really love living here in North Carolina.
Apples can do it to me.

My grandfather was a County Agent in NE Pennsylvania for 42 years. He was an Apple Man, and legend has it he ruled the apple room at the PA State Farm Show for a long time.
I have a photo from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette(?), circa 1950+/-, showing him instructing Governor Leader how to properly polish an apple.

We used to help him spray an old orchard of mostly Macintosh apples. They looked like a Burpee's catalog with huge juicy sweet red apples crowding each other off the limbs. The dropped apples were good. Tree-ripened Macs are an absolute treasure. They bruise easily and then spoil quickly, and don't have a long storage life anyway, so it is impossible to grow quality Macs for the mass market.

He sure knew his way around a cider press, and also kept a large barrel of strategically-aged cider in the cellar. We kids liked the sweeter cider upstairs. Seems like he and the uncles and my dad preferred the old stuff.

It was all in the blend of different apples for cider and baking.
When he selected a blend of apples and my mother would bake a couple of deep dish pies....
Well, some things live in memory forever...

[welovedurham]

There are lots of pick-your-own farms here.

Central North Carolina Pick-Your-Own Farms - Where to Find Them!

Here's one specifically in Orange County:
Orchard Creek Farm - apples, pears, peaches, prepicked produce, picnic area, farm animals 4812 Timberwood Trail, Efland, NC 27243. Phone: 919 563 3643. Email: orchardcreekfarm@yahoo.com. Crops are usually available in July, August, September, October. Open: Call for appointment Payment: Cash, Check. IPM growing method (integrated pest management). Free range chickens and eggs. Meat Goats