Had a great visit and tour of Granville Orchard and Farms (the old Granville Orchard) and fascinating conversation with its current owners Noah and Michelle.
With a focus on organic, regenerative agriculture, Noah and Michelle are raising 100% local, hormone free, environmentally responsible beef on the Orchard land.
The apple trees that had created many fond memories for years, however, had succumbed to fire blight and apple scab. The apples being produced looking more like prunes than apples.
Refusing to use fungicides and insecticides, it seemed the apple producing days were over.
Not concerned with saving the unproductive trees, they let the cattle graze. They ate leaves, stripped many trees of bark, and destroyed many of the remaining young trees.
But then, after a couple years, the apples being produced were significantly better. What was happening?
It turns out the cattle were naturally breaking the fungal cycle of the apple scab and fire blight by simply grazing!
A few years later and the orchard is showing real promise to produce healthily, chemical-free!
We are stoked about the passion and love being put into this little nostalgic piece of Granville land and look forward to a hopeful future cidermaking partnership! π π
Checkout www.granvilleorchardandfarms.com to learn more about the amazing work Noah and Michelle are doing!
