We begin picking Apples in late August and continue picking till the end of October. Remember to call ahead for picking conditions. 

our apples will be ready sometime around august 25,

2008

Apple varieties available

Late august Till Early September
Ginger Gold 
Early McIntosh

Mid September till first of October

Ginger Gold
Royal Gala
McIntosh
Cortland
Jonathan*
McCoun

First of October till Middle of October

Jonathan*
Cortland
McCoun
Empire
Mutsu
Red delicious
Golden Delicious*

Middle of October till end of October

Red Delicious
McCoun
Empire
Mutsu
Honey Crisp*
Rome*
Stayman*
Winter Banana*
Winesap*
Lady 
Baldwin*
Northern spy*
Braeburn*
Granny Smith*

Some Apple History

he apple emerged as a celebrated fruit from the beginning of time. In the Bible, Adam and Eve were tempted to eat fruit that is generally believed to be the apple. Greek and Roman mythology refers to apples as symbols of love and beauty. As early as 300 BC, ancient Greeks were growing several varieties of apples, and the ancient Romans also grew and loved the fruit. When the Romans conquered England about the first century BC, they brought apple cultivation with them. William Tell gained fame by shooting an apple off his son’s head at the order of invaders of Switzerland.

The Pilgrims discovered crabapples had preceded them to America, but the fruit was not very edible. They requested seeds and cuttings from England, which were brought over on later voyages of Mayflower. John Endicott, one of the early governors of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, is said to have brought the first trees to America. Records from the colony indicate that apples were grown in New England as early as 1630. 

The cultivated varieties of apples gradually spread westward from the Atlantic coast. Native Americans took seeds of these apples into the wilderness and planted them in their villages. John Chapman, a pioneer apple farmer from Leominster, Massachusetts, also helped to spread apple growing in the US. “Johnny Appleseed” became famous in the 1800’s when he distributed apple seeds and trees to settlers in the American states of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. Legend claims that he traveled barefoot wearing old torn clothes and a tin pot for a hat! 

As the country was settled, nearly every farm grew some apples. Although some were very good, most of the early varieties would be considered poor quality today. Of nearly 8000 varieties known around the world, about 100 are grown in commercial quantity in the US, with the top 10 comprising over 90% of the crop. New varieties are still being discovered and cultivated, with the best eventually becoming household words, like Macintosh, Delicious, Empire, Rome, Cortland, etc. The United States is the principal apple-producing country in the world.

© 2006 George Hill Orchards
P.O. Box 1181
582 George Hill Road
Lancaster, MA 01523
Phone: (978) 365-4331
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