Orchards
Gracing the farm’s northern entrance are rows of fruit trees and grape arbors. In May, these trees display beautiful flowers which eventually turn into cherries, apples, peaches, and plums. Not only are the orchards a beautiful place for a stroll, there’s nothing like tasting fresh fruit from the tree.
Apple Tree Orchards
We grow nine varieties of apples on our Farm orchards and surrounding properties. Our green apples are the first to be ready by mid-August while some apples won’t be ready until October. Apples are made into pies, jellies, applesauce, or just eaten right off the tree.
Cherry Tree Orchard
Cherry trees line our Garton Road orchard blooming in spring and bursting with cherries in July. We grow both sweet and sour cherries with the sweet ripening first followed by the sour varieties. Netting has to be draped over the trees otherwise pesky robins with a voracious appetite will consume them. Our kitchen makes them into preserves and pies.
Grape Vineyard
Rows of grape vines line our orchards, cascading with foliage and fruit by summers end. These grapes are harvested and used by the kitchen to make wine, juice, jellies, and jams. Our Grape arbors add so much to the gardens; an edible landscape with old world elegance and are one of the more popular attractions for visitors.
Peach Tree Orchard
When you think peaches, you probably think of Georgia not Wisconsin. However, several varieties of peaches can be grown here and we also have a special section of our orchard dedicated to this sweet southern favorite. Peaches are the least cold hardy of any stone fruit. Harsh winter cold and spring frosts can kill buds and damage branches. Fortunately, thanks to years of growers working on cold hardy cultivars, we too can grow our own peaches.
Pear Tree Orchard
One of the hardier fruits we grow here on the farm is the pear. Our pear trees are located both in our fruit orchards as well as neighboring properties. We grow many varieties such as Bartlett, Bosc, and even Asian pears. Our chef George cans jarred pears and makes his own specialty spearmint pear sauce.
Plum Tree Orchard
Plums are a dependable fruit that reward the grower with delicious fruit for eating from the tree or making into jams and pies. Plums are broken down into two groups: Japanese, which are fairly round, and European, which are oblong in shape. We grow Stanley, Mt. Royal, Toka and Superior plum trees as well as the standard American plum in the CFG orchards.
