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Fishkill Apple Orchards: A Family Farm Goes Sustainable

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Fishkill Apple Orchards: A Family Farm Goes Sustainable

September 8, 2013

You’ve probably heard of McIntosh, Golden Delicious, and Pink Lady apples, but what about Cox’s Orange Pippin or Esopus Spitzenberg? These are some of the rare heirloom apples grown at Fishkill Farms in Dutchess County, New York.

Owned by the Morgenthau family for just under 100 years, Fishkill Farms has transformed over the generations from a conventional American apple orchard to a diversified farm with environmental stewardship on the forefront of the agenda. Today the farm is run by third-generation farmer Josh Morgenthau, who has maintained Fishkill’s identity as a “u-pick” apple orchard. Morgenthau and his farmers oversee 40 acres of apples, 15 acres of mixed vegetables, 15 acres of summer fruits, more than 400 pasture-raised chickens, and a flock of sheep. The farm uses such sustainable farming methods as seasonal crop rotation, alternating between annual and cover crops; growing pesticide-free vegetables and berries under NOFA’s ‘Farmer’s Pledge” program, and managing five of the 15 acres of apples with organic methods.

Recently, photographer Nicole Franzen visited Fishkill for a selection of apple varieties and summer fruit sold at a nearby farmers’ market.

Photography by Nicole Franzen.
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Above: A farmhouse nearby; In the spring of 2009 Fishkill’s historic barn, packing shed, and cold storage were all lost to a fire, but the Morgenthau family was able to rebuild the pole barn a year later. The new barn will have an apple cold storage room, machinery workshop, vegetable and fruit packing facilities, and a cider room.

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Above: McIntosh apples in an orchard full of 15 different varieties.

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Above: The farm’s resident flock of pasture-raised sheep.

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Above: A pear tree dropping fruit in the harvest months.

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Above: Franzen’s picnic of sliced Golden Delicious apples, just picked from the tree above.

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Above: Apples for sale at a local farmers’ market; in addition to filling orders for a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, Fishkill Farms sells at markets in Dutchess County and in New York City.

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Above: White peaches, plums, and pears at a nearby farmers’ market.

700_nicole-franzen-plumsAbove: Organic plums grown in the Hudson Valley.

Finally, get more ideas on how to successfully plant, grow, and care for apple trees with our Apple Tree: A Field Guide.

Interested in other types of trees? Get more ideas on how to plant, grow, and care for various trees (specimen, deciduous, evergreen) with our Trees: A Field Guide.

Interested in other edible plants for your garden? Get more ideas on how to plant, grow, and care for various edible plants (including flowers, herbs and vegetables) with our Edible Plants: A Field Guide.

N.B.: Looking for more farms like this one? See 239 other Garden Visits.

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