Baking & Cooking Favourites

History: Airlie's Red Flesh originated on the farm of Lucky and Audrey Newell in Airlie, Oregon who sold the property in the 1960s. Two decades later in the 1980s, a Louis Kimzey was walking through the old orchard, bit into an apple from the tree, and was amazed at its stunning pink flesh. This was also known as Newell-Kimzey to reference those who found it and Airlie's Red Flesh as a reference to its place of origin and pink flesh. It also goes under a separate brand name. 

Why We Grow It: This small, slightly conical apple has yellow skin that belies a bright pink interior that whitens near the core. Not only is it pretty, the fruit has a very sweet flavour with some mild astringency and the flesh is slow to brown. Along with the attractive fruit, the tree boasts bright pink blossoms that gives it an extra ornamental appeal.

History: A chance seedling discovered in the 1980s in BC, this tender, aromatic, honeyed apple has been a hit ever since! 

Why We Grow It: This delicious apple is very popular in the fresh eating market in Canada, thanks to its attractive bi-colour skin and slow browning qualities. It produces a medium-large fruit and is a good cropper.

Species: Apio americana

History: American Groundnut (aka hopniss, potato bean, and hodoimo) is a native vine found from southern Canada down to Florida and west to Colorado. They are an important traditional food amongst indigenous peoples within its range and were introduced to European colonizers by these peoples. American Groundnuts failed to take off as a crop in Europe or colonized North America, although there have been efforts since the late 1900s to develop and promote cultivars in the US. Curiously, the only place where American Groundnuts are an important commercial crop is in Japan where it has become an important part of the Aomori Prefecture culinary scene following its introduction during the Meiji Period.

Why We Grow It: Although American Groundnuts have failed to gain much traction in the West, they are a great addition to the garden whether you are looking for a unique edible perennial or an ornamental plant. The shoots and seed pods are edible but American Groundnut is best known for the small tubers that grow in a bead-like manner along the roots. They are relatively small and taste similar to a potato but with more nuttiness. Like a potato, they can be used in a variety of ways! The unique burgundy flowers also make them appealing ornamentally. Just keep in mind that these vines can be quite vigorous and will spread!

Species: Corylus americana

History: American hazelnuts are native to eastern and central Canada and the US. The nuts are an important food source to many animals and as such the shrubs are most often cultivated for planting in native and wildlife gardens. Indigenous peoples also use the shrub for medicinal purposes.

Why We Grow It:  This thicket forming native shrub produces nutritious hazelnuts and fodder for animals. It is an excellent species to incorporate into a pasture/grazing system.

Species: Diospyros virginiana

History: Native to the southeastern and central areas of the United States, American Persimmon has had a long history of cultivation. The word 'persimmon' is an Anglicized version of the words 'putchamin,' 'pasiminan,' or 'pessamin,' which all mean 'dried fruit' in various Algonquin dialects, reflecting the fruits' usage. It is also common in southern states to trick the unwary into eating the unripe fruit which has an incredibly astringent flavour. Other historical uses for the American Persimmon include turning the seeds into buttons during the American Civil War and using the wood to make items such as pool cues and golf clubs.

Why We Grow It: This unique fruit tree produces a succulently sweet orange fruit that must be extremely ripe before you can eat it. Although it ripens in the summer, the fruit can withstand freezing and hang onto the tree until December. The fruit can be used to make a variety of sweet and savoury dishes and are also very popular among wildlife. Steph has found them great for baking into sweets such as tarts or the pecan and persimmon cookies pictured here!

Species: Rubus sp.

History: Anne is the product of quite the combined efforts between the University of Maryland, Rutgers University, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Education Center, and University of Wisconsin. Through their cooperative breeding program, the cross that created Anne was originally made in 1989 and the variety was released in the 1990s. It remains one of the more popular yellow raspberries today. 

Why We Grow It: Anne produces large, firm raspberries that are quite sweet with a flavour some liken to apricots or bananas. Most uniquely: the berries are yellow! The berries are good for eating fresh, baking, freezing, or adding to salads and their yellow colour helps them to stand out. This is an everbearing variety so you can cut down the canes in the winter for a large fall crop, or enjoy a more spread out crop from August to September. Anne also sports relatively few thorns, making harvesting a little easier. 

History: Arkansas Black originated, as its name implies, in Arkansas sometime in the mid to late 1800s although there are conflicting opinions on who exactly discovered it. Some say John Crawford developed it in the 1840s, others believe DeKalb Holt developed it at his brother's nursery in the 1870s, and another account claims John Braithwaite found it growing in his orchard. Regardless, this unique looking apple eventually became the most popular apple in the state until a bad codling moth infestation followed by the Great Depression devastated commercial orchards. Despite this heavy blow, it is still a popular apple in backyards and small-scale orchards.

Why We Grow It: Arkansas Black produces a unique fruit that is a dark purplish-red that at times almost looks black. Fresh off the tree the fruit is hard and fairly acidic, but it softens and sweetens in storage and develops a more pronounced spiced flavour. It is good for pies, sauce, and cider and the fruit stores quite well! The tree itself is fairly disease resistant as well.

History: This unique apple, orangey-yellow-red undertones with russet over top, originated in the UK in the 1700s and has remained popular for over two centuries. There is some debate whether it was raised by a Dr. Ashmead or a lawyer named William Ashmead. 

Why We Grow It: This Old World English apple has stuck with us thanks to it's unique flavour: nutty with notes of pear and spice. Fantastic fresh off the tree, and also in cider blends, Ashmead's Kernel mixes well with Cox's Orange Pippin.

Species: Lonicera caerulea

History: Aurora haskap was developed at the University of Saskatchewan. After a decade of breeding and trials, it was released in 2012. It was originally selected as a pollinator for Borealis haskap but its superior flavour and greater productivity compared to other varieties quickly made it more popular.

Why We Grow It: A sweetly flavoured favourite! Aurora tastes like a cross between a raspberry and a blueberry, with a satisfying chewy texture. The deep blue fruit are 3 cm long and juicy. Allow to sit out a few days after picking for optimally sweet fruit.

History: This classic American cooking apple was discovered by chance around 1740 in Massachusetts. It was eventually brought to the attention of a Col. Baldwin, after whom the variety was later named, who helped to spread it further. By 1850 this was one of the most commonly grown apples in the US, although its popularity began to decline by the 1900s, exacerbated by a terrible winter in 1934 that wiped out a significant number of trees. Despite this, Baldwin is making a bit of a comeback and a monument to this apple still stands in Wilmington, Massachusetts, around where it was discovered.

Why We Grow It: Baldwin apples produce large, greenish-yellow and maroon fruit with firm, sweet flesh that maintains its shape and crispness when cooked. The fruit produced in our test orchard has been attractive and blemish-free.