With its wealth of resources, natural, nautical, cultural and otherwise, Lake George can afford to acknowledge that other regions possess some advantages that we lack, such as commercial apple orchards.
Fortunately, for those who like their apples and ciders straight from the orchard, or who want an afternoon or a weekend shopping, apple picking, or knocking about with the kids, there are plenty of orchards nearby, in Vermont and in Washington and Essex Counties.
On the New York side of Lake Champlain, the apple crop is shaping up to be one of the best in recent years, according to Cornell University experts.
After an early frost last year that decimated fruit trees, many Vermont farms are now experiencing an enormous bounty as trees that spent a year in a state of near dormancy are weighted with apples, report Vermont farmers.
If Vermont is in fact your destination, Champlain Orchards, in Shoreham, is easily accessible from Bolton, Hague and Ticonderoga by way of the Fort Ticonderoga Ferry, which runs continuously from 7 am to 6 pm through October 27.
So, too, is Cobble Knoll Orchard in nearby Benson, owned and operated by Amy and Rick Bartholomew on a hill farm that has been under continuous cultivation since the 18th century. Former large animal veterinarians, they clearly are enjoying their new lives as full-time apple growers.
“It’s exciting but overwhelming at the same time,” said Amy Bartholomew. “Dealing with the weather – surprise frosts, a storm like Debby that took out 25 trees, drought and then unending rain – is not easy. But then, we’ve been in farming long enough to know that Mother Nature will do what she will do. You just have to roll with it.”
“And,” she added, “I certainly appreciate not being wakened in the middle of the night for a calving.”
A division of labor has been established that enables the Bartholomews to take palpable, irrepressible pleasure in the day-to-day operations of the orchard.
“Rick loves the apple part – planting and growing orchards, deciding when the different varieties are ready to be picked. I love the people part,” said Amy, who grew up in Woodstock, Vermont, the daughter of musicians. “It’s so nice to be able to make people happy, and people are happy when they’re out in nature with their families. We tell people to bring a picnic. The views of the Adirondacks from the top of the hill are beautiful.”
The Bartholomews grow more than 80 varieties of apples, rather than the few, unexceptional varieties available from most local orchards. Some of those varieties are heirloom, others have been introduced to provide consumers with better, more complex tasting fruit.
“A lot of people still come for the McIntosh reds or Honey Crisps, but I try to convince them to try other kinds,” said Amy. “I like to see people sample new varieties or alternatives to what they say are their favorites. They may not like them, but at least they’ve given them a try.”
As of early September, six varieties were ready to be harvested. By mid-September, more varieties will have ripened on the trees. In October, you will find varieties such as one of Thomas Jefferson’s favorite apples, the Esopus Spitzenberg.
Apples as well as other fruits are available for picking directly from the orchard, or can be purchased at Cobble Knoll’s busy market, a converted 19th century granary.
Ciders – freshly-pressed blends of apple cider, ice cider made from the frozen juice of the apples, brands of hard cider from cideries using Cobble Knoll’s apples – are also available in the market.
Dairy farmers from the Northeast Kingdom, where the Bartholomews’ veterinary clinic was located, supply them with cheese, including cheese from goats raised by a former neighbor’s young children.
Maple syrup and honey produced on the property are available for purchase. You will also find pies, homemade doughnuts, Christmas pickles, candied jalapenos, bumbleberry and other jams, pumpkins and squash. The market will remain open through October 29.
The 18th century farmhouse, which the Bartholomews are in the process of restoring, was occupied in the 1940s and 50s by Arthur Graham Carey, the Harvard-educated son of philanthropist, artists’ colony founder and John Jacob Astor descendant Arthur Astor Carey.
Graham Carey, apparently, was not satisfied with being just a gentleman farmer – he was interested in experimental farming and utilizing the latest discoveries in agricultural science and economics to increase his farm’s productivity. He was also a trained architect, an artist working in glass and metals and an editor of The Catholic Art Quarterly. A stone church that he designed, no longer in use, can still be found in Benson.
In 2015, Rick and Amy Bartholomew purchased their property from Rick’s uncles, long-time dairy farmers who still milk 120 cows.
“There used to be ten dairy farms on this road; now there is just one. Dairy farming is just not cost effective,” said Amy.
Amy continued, “Rick bought the property because he wanted to keep the land in agriculture, but since we knew that dairy farming was not the best way to do that, in 2016, we started planting the trees with the help of the family. One year we planted 2000 apple trees by hand. Rick’s dad is in his eighties and he outworks everybody.”
On October 5, Cobble Knoll Orchard will host the launch of its own brand of hard cider with a tasting event that will include music by the Loose Monkeys, a band that plays frequently on the New York side of Lake Champlain and features a cousin of Rick Bartholomew.
Cobble Knoll Orchard is located at 1672 East Road, Benson VT. To reach the orchard from the Fort Ticonderoga Ferry landing at Shoreham, take 22A south for 9 miles. Turn left onto East Road and go 1.6 miles. The orchard will be on your right.
