We make good use of the trimmed branches, too. A few of them remain on the ground in the orchard, providing winter shelter and foraging options for a variety of animals. But for human enjoyment, apple wood is known for being an excellent wood for smoking meats, particularly pork. We haul some of the apple wood to the Timber Dining Room at Lied Lodge and to local barbecue restaurants, where it’s used to bring delicious, smoky flavors to your table.

The hours of winter maintenance in the apple orchard today make for tastier, more abundant apples in September. I hope you’ll come and see for yourself.

 Erik Olson is the Orchards Manager at Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City, Nebraska. 

Caramel apples are one of the fall season’s finest treats! Here at Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City, we hand-dip more than 16,000 caramel apples for our guests and visitors during the busy fall season. This short video shows you step by step how we make them.

But the question remains… nuts or no nuts?

The orchards that bloomed with pink and white flowers back in April are, by September, heavy with ripe, juicy apples of every variety. For an orchard guy like me, these are exciting days when you realize that all the work during the rest of the year was worth it.

We can thank Mother Nature for what’s shaping up to be a very good apple harvest for 2010. Nebraska’s wet spring and summer months gave the apple trees plenty of opportunities to “drink up”, resulting in fruit this fall that is slightly larger than normal. We also have about 1,000 honeycrisp apple trees that will come into production this year. Honeycrisps have a reputation of being the darlings of the apple world, and for good reason. They have exceptional flavor — which trumps all other qualities — but they also have good texture and snap, they’re great for eating fresh or for cooking, they store well, and they’re beautiful. You might say that honeycrisps are the “total package” when it comes to apple varieties.

Nebraska City’s Applejack Festival is September 18-19, and you can count on plenty of apples ready for picking that weekend. For many of you, this annual harvest time pilgrimmage to Nebraska City is something you and your family look forward to. If large crowds of people aren’t your favorite, but you still want a fun, memorable, you-pick apple orchard experience, come see us anytime through the end of October. Find your favorite apples on the Arbor Day Farm apple variety chart and time your visit when they’re ripe for picking.

See you soon in Nebraska City!

Erik Olson is the Orchards Manager at Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City, Nebraska. Thinking of starting an orchard of your own? Shop for apple trees in the Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Store.

It rained on us a bit, but that didn’t put a damper on the fun. And let’s face it — Arbor Day Farm is the complete opposite of most people’s work environment, with all that green space and fresh air, and all those trees…

We put together this short video highlighting Bring Your Kids to Work Day 2010; kids say it best, don’t they? Enjoy.

Watch the Video — “Bring Your Kids to Work” Day, Arbor Day Farm Edition

A few people in the orchards industry call this event “prom for apple trees” because every branch is all dressed up with flowers, creating quite a spectacle.

My best estimate for seeing pink and white blooms on trees at Arbor Day Farm this year is right around April 17-21, 2010.

As you might imagine, there are plenty of variables that determine when the trees will be at their most beautiful. The long, cold, wet Nebraska winter prevented an early bloom this year. But the handful of 70- to 80-degree days we had in late March and so far in April have helped bring things up to speed in the orchard.

If we continue to have warm and sunny days, plan to find the blooms at their best early in the April 17-21 timeframe. Cool and rainy days will result in blooms later in that window of time. Even within the same orchard, it’s not uncommon to see one area or zone of trees maturing just a day or two faster than other areas.

Another question that I get asked a lot in the orchard this time of year: “Does every bloom result in an apple?”

No, it does not.

The bloom is just the big show. The “real work” is left to the bees, who’s job it is to pollinate, pollinate, and pollinate some more. Without the bees’ handiwork this season, we wouldn’t get to enjoy yellow delicious and jonathan apples in the fall.

So no matter where it falls on the calendar, the apple tree bloom really is something you’ll want to slow down and take notice of. Keep your camera handy and feel free to post your best blossom photos on the Arbor Day Farm Facebook page for all of us to enjoy.

See you soon in Nebraska City!

Erik Olson is the Orchards Manager at Arbor Day Farm in Nebraska City, Nebraska. Have more questions about apple trees? Email Erik here.