Why do we offer so many fruits? Though it is more difficult to manage a whole fruit basket—cherries, apricots, peaches, apples, pears—it is better growing practice for the land. Crop diversity allows us to avoid the pitfalls of monoculture, which can lead to the quicker spread of diseases. It also helps us to provide fruit all summer long.
 
And we’re continuing to expand our offerings. In 2012, New Leaf Fruit will sell four varieties of Asian pears, and in 2013, we will introduce two varieties of nectarines and three varieties of plums.

For a list of our fruits and their approximate harvest dates, click here  New Leaf Fruits and Approximate Harvest Dates

New Leaf Bartlett and D’Anjou pears are thinned early to size up into generous, beautiful fruits.

Bing cherries are the first fruit to be harvested, right around June 15th.

With three varieties of apricots, consumers can appreciate the finer points of flavor. Wandering the rows, you taste how very different the varieties of the same fruit can be.

Apples are the last to blossom, and our Fujis are our the last fruit we harvest.

 

The Life of a Peach Tree—grown organically at New Leaf Fruit

 

 

 

Peach harvest lasts from late July through early September. Why is our fruit sweeter? Colorado’s cold nights help—it slows down the ripening process allowing the sugars more time to develop. Plus, our fruit is tree ripened, harvested at the last possible moment to allow the maximum time for sweetening.

 
Why eat organic? This article from the San Diego Earth Times identifies the foods most affected by pesticides (most of the fruits we grow are on this list) and what effects these toxins have on the body.
"A Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce"

 

What to do with large quantities of fruit? Are you interested in eating organically grown Colorado fruit all year round? Canning is becoming a lost art, and it may not be easy to find someone to mentor you. This site, www.pickyourown.org, teaches you how to can, freeze and make jams and jellies. This is where Rosemerry learned how to make the New Leaf harvest continue to feed her family all year round.