The White Clover Grange is collecting information about the heritage apple trees in the Nehalem Valley (pears and crab apples too!)
We have been interviewing our long-term Grange members, driving around and identifying where many of the trees still are and collecting some wonderful stories along the way.
On October 14th from 1-4, the Grange will host The Heritage Apple Festival featuring cider, apple treats and a tasting of the fruit of our community’s heritage trees. We want to locate the best apples and pears for baking, cider making and simply eating fresh. As many of the trees are really old now, we hope to graft these treasures and continue growing the varieties that thrive here on the coast.
We have found a lot of beautiful old trees but we are sure there are more! This is where you come in. If you have old trees on your property that are still producing, and you would like to participate in the tasting, please contact Jennifer Childress at 503-368-5886 or email at goatherd@nehalemtel.net. We are looking for apples from trees planted before 1970, though sometimes we don’t know when they were planted and just know that they’re OLD! And that’s fine. We would love to include them.
Even if you don’t have old apple trees, we’ll be making cider and the public is welcome to bring apples for pressing. Bring your own jars and you can take home your cider. Donations for this are welcome.
The following instructions will help you keep your apples fresh for the tasting. Or if you need assistance, we would be happy to help you pick and store the fruit.
Instructions for participating in the heritage apple tasting:
Pick 12 ripe apples or pears off the tree (not off the ground)
Place in crisper in the refrigerator, if picked prior to mid-October
When the time comes for the tasting, place in paper bag and label bag with a sharpie.
Helpful information to include:
Name of variety if known
Date picked
General location of tree (ie Nehalem, Hwy 53 above/below McDonald Rd., Northfork Rd. (above/below McDonald), Wheeler, Manzanita
Age of tree (if known)
Name of donor
Come join us at the Grange on October 14 from 1-4 for a heritage apple celebration! The White Clover Grange will be having a shindig with a heritage apple tasting, apple cider making (bring your apples and jars and join in the fun), kid activities, apple treats and music!
The event is free to the public, though donations for apple cider and treats are always appreciated.
The White Clover Grange is located at 36585 Highway 53, Nehalem, for more information go to www.whiteclovergrange.org.
