Orchard Events

 December 1st, 2023 

We have FREE holiday greenery (fir, pine, juniper, ivy, etc.) pruned from Avella Orchard available for seasonal decorating. Drop by at your convenience and take home a bit of Avella Orchard for the holidays :) 

Greenery is on wire shelving on the south side of the parking lot

 

 

Sunday May 7th, 2023  Special Family Event

 Mother’s Day   Sunday May 7th

Dear friends of Avella Orchard, 

You are invited to visit the orchard

between 10 am and 12 noon

and pick a bouquet of daffodils!

Please - no dogs, dress for the weather, sturdy shoes,

be aware we are a working orchard

with bees, wasps, sticks, uneven ground, etc

 

 

 

 JULY 2022

FREE containers of all kinds under the white canopy in the parking lot Monday July 4th - Sunday July 10th. 

- glass jars and bottles

- metal containers

- plastic containers  

for sorting odds and ends, fermentation pickling, canning, juicing, brewing, making your own herb vinegars and oils, saving seeds, storing dried fruit or grains or beans or spices or teas ...

 

 

 

 

2020 EVENTS
All orchard events are cancelled at this time due to the health emergency of COVID-19
  
APRIL 11TH :  Annual Plant Sale    CANCELLED 


2019 EVENTS
  
SEPTEMBER 12TH: Oakhaven Pre-School returns to the orchard on Thursdays

SEPTEMBER 11TH: Avella Orchard hosted the Summer Potluck for Greater Hells Canyon Council again this year ... lovely evening (so glad the rain held off!) under the trees with live Irish music, delicious food, and great conversation.

JUNE: Avella Orchard participated in the first and hopefully annual Farm Crawl, with guided tours, taste tests of dried fruits, handouts and more ... I was able to listen stories of people who had lived on or visited this place before us or who had grown up in this neighborhood or who knew Mr. Ryan ...  wonderful sharing!

WELCOME TO 2018!!

Our second family event of the year will be Sunday February 4th from 2 pm to 4 pm ... keeping the orchard tradition of  greeting the newly awakening trees with scattering wood ashes along with oyster shell powder and kelp meal to fertilize the roots that are starting to put on their spring flush of new growth.  We will also be incorporating a little bit of Japanese tradition by including tossing around bean (and clover and vetch) seeds to get these important nitrogen-fixers growing in the orchard (and ward off any bad luck!).  Wear warm clothing, and goggles or other protective eye gear to protect eyes from blowing ashes. There will be hot mulled apple juice in the dojo, and a warm place to get out of the weather!  Come for any part or all of the event :)
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Our first family event of the year will be a semi-traditional orchard Was Hael (“Wishing Health”) celebration on Sunday January 21^st from 2 to 4 pm. We will be placing cider-soaked toast in the branches of trees representing the orchard to wish the trees a bountiful blossoming and generous fruiting. Although we will not be banging pots & pans, we will be using old towels to rub loose bark off the trunks and encourage the trees to think about waking up from their winter nap. Be sure and wear warm clothing and good boots! After we've clomped around the orchard, hot mulled apple juice will be served in the dojo lobby, along with toast! 

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The orchard will be hosting the Greater Hells Canyon Council summer potluck for members and friends of GHCC  on Thursday August 24th ... looking forward to great conversation, delicious food, and live Irish music under the stars :)
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We will be hosting a PEACE VIGIL on Thursday August 17th at 7:00 pm to stand with Charlottesville, to mourn the death of Heather, and to stand against the hate and violence of white supremacists.  We will not let this violence happen without standing up and speaking out.   Our orchard is a place of peace.  This event has signed onto the rules and values of INDIVISIBLES - respect for all, inclusion and non-violence.
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FIRST ORCHARD EVENT OF 2015: We will be celebrating ST. AGNES DAY on Saturday January 31st from 10 am - 11:30 am.  This is a FAMILY EVENT with important roles for all attendees.
The first day of February is traditionally the time when the orchard starts to think about waking up. We will be encouraging the orchard by tossing wood ash and kelp meal in the branches and spreading mulch around the trunks.  Please wear warm layers, boots, gloves, hats, and sunglasses or goggles (eye protection). 
Hot spiced cider will be served, along with a taste test of various apple and quince butters. 
Please RSVP by email or phone if you plan on attending!

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 The WAS HAEL celebration this year will be much more informal and less public ... if interested, please give me a call at 541.963.2365.
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Thank you to those who showed up to help with our seasonal MULCH DAY at the orchard on Saturday November 8^th. The trees we planted this spring will get through the winter much better now :) _______________________________________________________________________

The DIG HOLES DAY on March 22nd was a great success with 21 holes dug!  Heartfelt thank yous to the Lundells, to Cathy & Dave, and to Sarah & Joel!  Your support is MUCH appreciated!
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The Was Hael Avella Orchard Family Event on January 18th was small but enthusiastic as we rubbed off the old loose bark on the trunks that harbors insect pests, toasted the health of the trees, land left cider-soaked slices of toast in the branches of the Northwest Greening and the Rhode Island Greening. You can read more about these amazing heritage trees below. 

Rhode Island Greening

One of the oldest American apples, from the 1600’s.  The story is that the tree grew by an inn, and the innkeeper freely shared scionwood with travelers.  It was a favorite tree in the northeast in the 1700’s and 1800’s, and is still grown commercially for frozen apple pie filling.  The late fall ripening green apple is tart, crisp and flavorful, and is also a good keeper.  It’s good for fresh eating, sublime in apple pies and crisps, and tasty dried.  The tree is biennial, bearing every other year.

Our Rhode Island Greening is one of the oldest trees in Avella orchard, planted by Mr. Ryan.  As it is on standard rootstock, we expect it to be bearing fruit for another 200 years!

 Northwest Greening

This tree is from the mid-1800’s in Wisconsin, officially introduced in 1872.  The tree is reputed to be a cross between Alexander and Golden Russet, known for cold hardiness, disease resistance, and longevity.  The apple is green, crisp, larger than most (the Alexander heritage), tart, with complex flavors.  Like the Rhode Island Greening, it is beloved in pies and sauce.  Like Alexander, the dried apple sweetens over time.  We like it for fresh eating, especially if picked a little late.

When we arrived, the Northwest Greening had been cut back to a stump, and we despaired of ever getting apples from it. Now, three years later, we have had our first harvest of these delicious apples.  

Apple trees (grown from seed or on seedling rootstock) can live for a long time – 200 to 500 years. Often, what we fear may be lost, may be brought back, with time, patience, attention and a little luck!