KENT CITY, Mich. -- It finally feels like fall, which means it’s the perfect time to check out apple orchards. One local orchard doesn’t look quite like the rest.
Dietrich Orchard doesn’t look like your everyday apple orchard, but there’s a purpose for why they grow smaller trees. They say closer trees equals higher quality apples. Using every acre to the fullest with a smaller root stock gives every apple from the top to the bottom the same high quality amount of sunlight.
Dietrich Orchard has started to grow some apples you may have never heard of such as Dabinett, Golden Russet and Zpitzenburg.
They have 20 acres of these cider variety trees from New Hampshire growing in West Michigan. They will be used to supply Vander Mill Cider with plenty of bitter sweet ingredients.
Learning to handle old apple varieties on new growing systems at Dietrich Orchard is leading to new hard cider varieties at Vander Mill Cider.
