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Edition:
September 02, 2010
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NEWS
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Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Maple Hills Orchard to kick off the apple season Saturday
 | | Maple Hills Orchard owners (from left) Jonna and Gary Goreham with just a few of the items they will carry in the Apple House Store. |
•by Sarah Rabideaux
Fresh from the orchard.
With thoughts of retirement and a viable business that could give back to the community, Gary and Jonna Goreham have opened Maple Hills Orchard.
And to kick off the 2006 apple-growing season, they will be holding a neighborhood community sale with arts, crafts, plants, and rummage Saturday May 20 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Apple House Store located at the orchard.
The orchard is located between Frazee and Detroit Lakes. From Frazee, travel west on U.S. Hwy. 10 to Maple Hill Golf Course, turn left on 130th street and drive one mile to their new home and business.
“We will have apples this fall, along with honey, pumpkins, squash and accessories geared to apples,” said Jonna. “Right now we have specialty coffee beans and teas in the store we named the Apple House Store.”
The Gorehams bought the 30 acres they are developing from Pat Furey in 1998.
“We wanted to build a place to retire,” explained Gary. “We also looked at something we could provide for the local community and get others involved if possible. We hope to create jobs and provide an economic impact to the area and an educational area for the schools and students.”
Jonna has a bachelor’s degree in speech pathology. Gary’s college education is in rural sociology from South Dakota State.
Gary has been at North Dakota State University (NDSU) since 1985.
“Rural sociologist covers many areas including farm issues and rural environment,” added Gary, “and teaches how the local environment affects the global scope, more than people realize.”
Once the Goreham’s found the land in 1998, the next step was to decide what to do with it.
“We looked at other crops that Gary is familiar with at NDSU,” said Jonna. “We did not want to do live animals, and the season is short with small grains. We wanted something more year-round, with other things of interest to keep it viable.”
That is where the apples came in.
“Nick Reindl from the Department of Natural Resources in Brainerd has been very helpful as we develop our orchard,” said Gary.
The weather in the northern area of Minnesota has it’s own growing time line. The Gorehams use sources such at www.allaboutapples.com. This site lists the stages of an apple tree according to temperatures.
The spring cold this season has had an impact on the state apple crops, according to the website. As the temperature warms and apple trees start to spring to life, the newly formed buds and blossoms become susceptible to damage from below-freezing temperatures.
“We are a testing ground for this far north with the apples,” said Gary.
They also use the resources available to them as members of the Minnesota Apple Growers Association.
“The University of Minnesota extension site at www.extension.umn.edu has been very helpful,” added Gary.
It has been slow going over the years since the first saplings were planted.
“We have been set back about three years from the damage the deer eating the young trees caused,” explained Gary. “In 2002 we put up the fence and that has helped.”
The orchard will use Integrated Pest Management (IPM).
“We won’t use anything chemical but we cannot say that we are completely organic,” said Gary. “We will use natural sprays, beneficial insects, and big red balls with pheromones that attract and kill the bad bugs naturally. We also have our own bee hives for pollinating the trees and providing honey for the Apple House Store.”
Spring of 1999 saw the Gorehams planting the first 100 apple trees on an existing alfalfa field.
By 2005 more than 400 apple trees were thriving.
The orchard will have all Minnesota apples.
Currently, Honeycrisp, Haralred and Zestar are planted along with several crab apple varieties.
“This spring we will be planting 100 Stella Minnesota,” said Jonna, “bringing our count up to 500 trees.” Honeycrisp is a crisp and juicy sweet eating apple. The University of Minnesota introduced it in 1991 after 30 years of development. Honeycrisp is the pride of Minnesota and recently became the state apple.
Haralred is a redder and earlier apple than the standard Haralson, yet retains all the good qualities of Haralson. Haralson was introduced by the University of Minnesota more than 80 years ago and is still a Minnesota favorite.
Zestar is an outstanding early season eating apple. The University of Minnesota introduced Zestar in 1998.
Stella Minnesota is a good eating apple with a white, dense flesh unusual for an early season apple. The resistance to browning adds shelf life to cut apples.
“The Stella Minnesota was patented in 2003 by Bill Cox of Cleveland, Minnesota,” said Gary. “It is on trial at Maple Hills Orchard.”
This fall the apples will be picked by the business and sold in the Apple House Store.
“As the trees mature, we will become a u-pick orchard,” added Jonna.
To promote local and sustainable agriculture they will also sell rhubarb, pumpkins, squash, tomatoes, orchard-grown honey, and freshly roasted specialty coffee.
“We support shade-grown organic coffee growers, not mass produced,” said Gary. “With over 14 years of experience, our Minnesota-based coffee roaster is committed to excellence.”
Coffee is the United States’s largest food import and second most valuable commodity only after oil.
Every day, Americans drink more than 300 million cups of coffee.
One coffee tree annually yields only one pound of roasted coffee, all of which is hand-picked cherry by cherry.
The Gorehams know that their roaster buys from farmers who support a livable wage for their employees, what is known as Fair Trade.
To become Fair Trade certified, an importer or roaster must meet stringent international criteria.
“Our coffees are arriving freshly roasted and should be ground within three to ten days,” said Jonna, “and once ground, used within 20 minutes, for the utmost freshness and taste.”
The coffee crop for May at the Apple House Store will include over a dozen varieties.
Customers can visit www.maplehillsorchard.com for a complete listing and roaster notes describing the specialty coffees.
Everyone is welcome to join the Maple Hills Orchard Specialty Coffee Club. Events such as coffee tastings are being planned and coffee gadgets will be ordered for the store.
“I did not drink coffee until we started the business,” said Jonna. “Now I am enjoying it and the interesting facts about it.”
The Gorehams know that not everyone drinks coffee.
Their coffee roaster is partnered with Bill Waddington, of the Tea Source, a nationally recognized, Minnesota-based, specialty tea wholesaler. The Apple House Store will carry a variety of loose-leaf teas.
“We will have bags of freshly roasted shade-grown specialty coffee beans for sale and hope to have customers from the Detroit Lakes Festival of Birds stop by,” Gary continued. “Many North American birds winter in the shade of coffee plantations in Latin America and the Caribbean.”
In the fall, the pumpkin patch will open, giving customers the chance to pick the perfect pumpkin, in addition to a variety of squash.
The Gorehams have worked hard, along with their two daughters, family and friends to make the orchard possible.
“We are nurturing apples but the apples have given us what we refer to as the 4 P’s,” added Gary. “Persistence, perseverance, patience and a perspective on all of the ups and downs of life.”
Info: 844-5445, e-mail maplehillsorchard@hotmail.com.
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