Welcome to the Shaker Apple Orchard

Welcome to the Shaker Apple Orchard. . , This orchard was planted and tended by Shakers who now rest in the nearby cemetery. It shows up on an 1838 map of the Church Family, one of four Shaker villages established within a mile. Apples were an important food in the Shakers' diet. Apples were dried or stored in barrels and used to make pies, applesauce, and apple butter. The Shakers also brewed cider for drinking, cooking, and baking Cider seasoned vegetable dishes and sauces for meat and poultry. It also flavored cakes, pies, and puddings Cider vinegar and apple brandy were used for pickling and preserving fruits and vegetables Apple pie was served at many Shaker meals., Apples were also part of the Shaker economy. Applesauce was one of the canned foods Shakers made to sell to "The World's People" (non-Shakers). The Shakers grew other fruit like peaches, but apples were the most important fruit crop. Each of the four Shaker Families had their own orchard. Shaker farms in Watervliet once covered over 4000 acres of land. In addition to raising food for themselves and their livestock, Shakers also grew broom corn for making brooms, vegetables for their seed industry, and herbs for their medicinal herb industry. This orchard is all that remains of that agricultural history., 1863 30 OCT "A general rush in the orchard. They finish gathering apples today, between 600-700 bushels of apples picked up today. Henry Scranton leads in making cider." - Church Family Journals of Sister Phebe Ann Buckingham (1804-1892), The Shakers planted a wide variety of apples. In this orchard, you can find old favorites such as Sheepnose (pictured here) Roxbury Russet. and Esopus Spitzenburg. Today many of these apples are rare. Commercial growers prefer fruit that is sturdy and easy to harvest. Consumers look for fruit that is pretty and similar in size, shape, and color. Old varieties may bruise easily, look unattractive or ripen at different times. Some of the trees in the orchard were planted during a renewal project in the 1980s and 1990s. Shaker heritage began a new project in 2021 to replace additional trees., Apples from this orchard were processed at the 1856 Drying House. This is one of nine Shaker buildings at the Church Family Site, which is the location of the Shaker Heritage Society. The Church Family buildings, the orchard, the cemetery and the 1812 Mill Pond (Ann Lee Pond) form the heart of the Watervliet [Albany] Shaker National Historic District., A Sure sign of spring in the orchard: 1819 13 Apr "The bees begin to carry yellow legs and the frogs peep." - Journals of Elder David Austin Buckingham. (1803 - 1885) , America's First Shaker Settlement , Thanks to John and Betty Nickles for their generous support of this project.