Interpretive Pocket Park:
Apple Orchard
***Please resist picking apples from the Apple Orchard at this time.***
Although it is tempting to pick the delicious-looking apples from the trees in the Apple Orchard, such action should be resisted. Our apple trees are still young and attempting to become established. This means pulling an apple off their undersized stems or branches may cause injury to the trees. Such injuries leave the trees vulnerable to disease which will introduce a new set of problems.
In many cases, very young trees like those currently in the Apple Orchard, will self-abort their fruit in order to not waste energy attempting to get it to maturity. The objective during this stage in the apple tree's life is to put on height and a significant increase in caliper (trunk thickness).
We ask that you please wait patiently for the apple trees to get a few more years of growth on them before harvesting the apples. When the trees are mature enough, we will notify homeowners that they are ready for harvest which typically takes place in the months of September/October.
Honeycrisp Apple
This Minnesota classic is noted for the creamy white flesh that floods the taste buds with a balanced sweet/acid flavor that has a satisfying aftertaste. Honeycrisp proved to be so popular with commercial and backyard growers, that it became the official state apple in 2006.
Frostbite Apple
Frostbite apples are valued for the one of a kind sweetness that your first bite into a ripened pome will experience. It is a late maturing variety that in addition to being sought for eating out of hand, is also cherished for making sugar cane sweet apple cider. The maroon striping over the golden background gives it high visual appeal. It is a “grandparent” to Honeycrisp.
Haralson Apple
Haralson Apple is another product of the University of Minnesota breeding program. The fruit is freshly crisp, with just a touch of tartness. Perhaps the best apple for baking purposes, and hold good flavor in winter storage. A readily available variety in North Dakota garden centers.
Sweet Sixteen Apple
Sweet Sixteen apple is, as the name implies, a very sweet, cherry candy flavor treat to eat out of hand when it ripens toward the end of September. The bold red skin reveals an amazingly exotic yellow flesh that is mildly aromatic with the first bite. Stores up to 8 weeks at mature harvest.
Kinderkrisp Apple
Crisp, tender, a sweet flavor along with the small size of the apple make this one a great snack for lunch. The Honeycrisp parent also imparts the hardy character of Kinderkrisp to be a part of a growing family for an extended period of time. Flowers set fruit easily which then becomes harvestable in late August-early September.