The Lasting Taste of the Apple Harvest in Vermont
By Allison Flint | November 04, 2011
While we celebrate and enjoy our fall apples in Vermont, mail order delivery allow us to enjoy them anytime and anywhere.
As we in New England close the door on fall and prepare for Thanksgiving, we celebrate the year’s harvest. In September, the apple crop at dozens of Vermont orchards, such as Happy Valley Orchards in Middlebury, is crisp, juicy and plentiful. But after the anticipated and short-lived taste of fresh apples, do we really have to wait until next fall? Not anymore.
Dozens of local farm stands in Vermont maintain a steady business during the spring and summer months of operation. But come fall, the parking lot fills, the orchard is teeming with pickers and the sweet scent of apples is in the air. It’s apple season!
Each fall apples are picked and enjoyed immediately, surprising us at how juicy and flavorful they really are. Macintosh is a Vermont standard, but the surprise of the sweet and tart burst of crispness is always a welcome taste. Cold storage and proper care can keep this intense freshness for several months. Varieties include Cortland, Honey Crisp, Macoun, Gala, Empire, Red Delicious, Paula Red, Gold Delicious, Mutsu, and Fuji, all ready for eating, pie-making and sauces.
Champlain Orchards, one of the largest apple orchards and organic farms in the state, offers home grown products, including Cortland, Empire, Honey Crisp and Macintosh apples, by mail order. The selection on their website is immense going beyond the simplicity of fresh apples. The farm is in Shoreham overlooking beautiful Lake Champlain.
The traditional Vermont combination of Macs and cheddar can be found at Shelburne Orchards. Among other local products, you can choose a gift box of Macintosh apples and the farm’s own sharp cheddar cheese, the perfect snack no matter what part of the country you’re sitting in. Shelburne is just south of Burlington, Vermont’s largest city, yet it still maintains its agricultural and local cultural roots.
Other orchards in Vermont who will ship apples are Green Mountain Orchards in Putney and the Allenholm Farm in South Hero. No matter where you are for the holidays this year, you can enjoy the fresh apple taste of Vermont and share it with friends and family.
