All About Fruit Show
The Home Orchard Society’s Annual Fruit Fest
Posted by: Kate Bryant on Oct 02, 2009 at 10:00AM
5 Comments
Every fall, the Home Orchard Society holds its All About Fruit show. If you have fruit trees – or are considering planting some – this event ought to be on your calendar. It runs Saturday October 10 and Sunday October 11 from 10 am to 4 pm. Here’s what you’ll find there:
- 100s of apple, pear, & other fruit varieties to taste
- Custom-made (grafted) fruit trees – order at only $12 each
- Publications on research, disease & insect control
- Unknown apple varieties identified (bring 5-6 samples of each)
- Speakers
- Sales of delicious, home-grown fruit & fruit pastries
- Vendors of edible trees and shrubs
- Contests: 2-crust apple pie; largest tree fruit; & longest apple peel
Saturday’s speakers include Portland’s own Vern Nelson (fabulous Oregonian edible gardening columnist) speaking at 11 am on designing the edible landscape, Bob Denman (Red Pig Tools) at 12:15 discussing the ergonomics of tools and tool design; and Susan Dolan (author) at 1:30 discussing preserving heirloom orchards.
Sunday’s speakers include Barbara Ghazarian (the “Queen of Quince”) at 11 am discussing and signing copies of her new book “Simply Quince”, the first tribute/cookbook devoted to this incredible fruit; Jeanne Brandt (Master Food Preserver and OSU Extension representative) at 12:15 discussing current techniques for home food preservation; and at 1:30, David Karp (freelance writer and photographer, fruit devotee and “Fruit Detective”) discusses the greengage plum, which he deems “the most delicious fruit in the world,” as well as the next big thing in fruit.
The Home Orchard Society’s All About Fruit Show
When: 10am-4pm Saturday and Sunday, October 10 & 11
Where: Washington County Fairplex (New), Hillsboro, Oregon.
Admission:
Members: Adults $4, Family $8
Non-Members: Adults $6, Family $10
Become a HOS member at the show, and get in free!
Free Parking
See you there!
Did you know that all the varieties of fruit at this event are all LOCALLY GROWN?! It’s amazing the diversity we have here in the Northwest. After attending this event the last couple of years, I’ve become the proud owner of several baby heirloom apple, pear and quince trees that will (hopefully) soon be bearing delicious fruit that I can’t find in the store or farmer’s market!
Thanks for your comment, Bobbie. Yes, it should be noted that the fruit is all locally grown – a reminder that anything you taste there is something you can also grow in your own garden. One of the coolest things about the HOS is when you get a graft or plant from somebody’s heirloom plant that is commercially unavailable. At this spring’s HOS scion exchange, I got several Italian fig and antique muscat grape varieties that are growing beautifully in my garden. I’ve never seen any of them anywhere else.
Wow I didn’t realize you could grow figs in Portland! To ripe fruityness? That’s exciting….
Hello Helen,
Yes, figs are easy to bring to magnificently ripe fruityness here, although some ripen two crops and others only one before the frost gets ‘em. I think it’s exciting, too, especially since figs appear to suffer from exactly ZERO pest or disease problems in this region. OK, maybe one disease but I’ve never actually seen it myself. Why don’t more people grow figs? They’re also supremely well adapted to our winter-wet/summer-dry climate…
At current count over 530 apple varieties, 230+ pears. We will be picking quince, medlar and hardy kiwi on Cot 7. All of this is the top of the iceberg, just a sampling of biodiveristy.