Anthony (orange) and Charles mapping out the orchard

March 20th, 2014 marks a historic day for New Ark Farms and the state of New Jersey. On this day, the great people of Vintage Virginia Apple orchard sold us the cream of the crop, the fruit of the loom, in all sorts of literal and figurative meanings. They gave us the gift of life:

100 two-year-old Harrison Apple trees. It’s official; the iconic Harrison apple is making its long journey back home to New Jersey.

Win Cowgill testing the soil

We have been lucky enough to attract some of the most knowledgeable orchardists and apple gurus this side of the Mississippi. Under the leadership of Rutgers extension pomologist Win Cowgill, the land prep has begun, and the process to plan for the most sustainable and efficient placement of the trees is in progress.

Distributing the compost

And, a heritage planting plan has been developed byTom Burford so that these trees will live as they did 300 years ago. If not for Tom’s efforts throughout this journey, we never would have been able to bring the most valuable of cider apples back home.

To learn more about the Heritage of the Harrison in Newark and Newark Cider click here.

Installing the fence