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Two years ago at this time, I was pruning with my shirt off. It was 80 degrees, and the buds were pushing greentip. This morning it was below zero (again), and everything is still pretty tight. Which is nice — hopefully we’ll avoid the big swing that killed buds that […]

Happy St Patrick’s Day

March 17, 2014 in Uncategorized by admin

Three inches of snow fell during the time it took to prune a big old Macintosh! It’s a sprawling tree, and there are plenty more like it before we make it into the relatively quick younger trees at the bottom of the orchard. Yesterday was strangely hot and foggy, but […]

Pruning in the Snow!

January 31, 2013 in Uncategorized tagged christian / pruning / snow / weyland / winter by admin

It’s 4th of July and the orchard is humming along. Still too early for apples, but it’s a perfect time to hunt for chanterelles. Brad takes us on a foraging trip the morning after a good rainfall in search of these great wild mushrooms.

Into the Woods

July 19, 2011 in Uncategorized tagged apples / brad koehler / chanterelle / forage / ice cider / mushroom hunting / orchard / wild mushrooms / windfall by admin

It’s hard to believe the market has started and we’re in full swing. Even though the first apple is still months away, Windfall Orchard is at the Farmers Market every Saturday morning with fresh, foraged and fermented goods. This week included oyster and pheasant back mushrooms as well as two […]

Yes, the mushrooms are safe. (And delicious.)

May 30, 2011 in Uncategorized by admin

We recently agreed to take on management of an adjacent orchard, which will add a lot to our productivity. 85 trees, 20 varieties. Here’s the catch: they’ve only been pruned once in the last 12 years and they’re kind of a mess! No matter — some time, energy and strategic […]

The Joy of Pruning

April 19, 2011 in Uncategorized by admin

Welcome to the very first blog post for Windfall Orchard in Cornwall, Vt. It’s been a long and snowy winter. All around us the sugar makers are tapping maple trees, and the sap is starting to run. Our trees get a different treatment — for us, late winter means it’s […]

Time to Prune

March 18, 2011 in Uncategorized by admin