Snack fresh on our home-grown apples.

We moved to the Niagara Region in 1999 and soon began a new chapter of apple farming, while raising our six children. As our kids grew up, they helped in the orchard, in the store, and at farm markets. Our son Ron, works side by side with Peter, operating the orchard while Mary operates the store. We have multiple crews of local employees working in the store and in the orchard throughout the year. Peter and Mary’s grandchildren also love spending time on the farm! The orchard has been in existence since 1960! Over the years, many old trees have been replaced and today we take care of over 40,000 fruit trees. All the trees are now dwarf and are supported by trellises and stakes with trickle irrigation lines running down each row. On our farm we also use integrated Pest Management Techniques and have completed an Environmental Farm Plan. To naturally control some of the insects, we have installed bat houses, place pheromone lures in the trees and support the beneficial insects in the orchard. During the late winter season, Ron and Peter spend their time winter pruning the trees. Pruning allows the tree to be more productive as well as controlling the size of the trees. After the bees pollinate the blossoms in May, fruit begins to grow on the trees in June. From July to August, our work crews thin down the clusters of fruit on each tree to help increase size and health of the crop. Summer pruning begins once thinning is completed and allows more sunlight to reach the fruit, sweetening and coloring the fruit beautifully. Harvest begins in late August and runs until late October. Many uncontrollable events can plague the orchard during these months from insects and fungal diseases to hail, creating much damage. As these events are out of our control, we thank God for giving us the faith to endure such calamities and truly grateful for the many years of bountiful harvests. After harvest is complete, we store all our apples and pears in Controlled Atmosphere (CA) coolers. The coolers are sealed and the oxygen is removed to 2%, keeping the fruit crisp and fresh for 6-8 months! The temperature in the coolers are close to freezing and moisture is retained in the rooms so the fruit will not dehydrate. This method keeps the fruit tasting fresh and crispy, like it just came off the tree!