Celebrating 100 years at Banker Orchards

PLATTSBURGH | Banker Orchards here marked a major milestone with this harvest: the 100th season. And the apple trees, the farm yard, barns full of antique equipment, petting zoo, playground, Fairy Trail, and kitchen are bustling. The smell of fresh donuts, fried dough and pies fills their market and carries past the porch far into orchard lanes. Banker Orchard owner Nina Sullivan said one tree in the oldest section of orchard was planted in 1923. "It's still alive," she smiled. "It's out on the far row." The apple farm draws its success from deep roots in the community. They were named Small Business of the Year by the North Country Chamber of Commerce in January. "We have a lot to celebrate this year," Sullivan said, despite quirks of the 2023 growing season. Banker experienced some frost but not as much as in other areas, she said. "We call it nature-thinning. We wait to see what nature thins off then thin carefully afterward." The rain made work schedules hectic, but adapting is part of Sullivan's success. "It rained two days and then it would be nice for two days. We would do inside jobs for two days then work like heck outside for two days," Sullivan said. "Then there was lack of sunshine from the Canadian wildfires." In diminished sun, the rows of pumpkins and squash took longer to ripen as the vines took longer to dry off. But the apples are ready. "Cool nights will turn the apples," Sullivan said on Thursday. "And we've had a few nights in the 40's." Many rows of Banker Orchard trees are picked, apples stowed in open wooden boxes around their market stalls. Their Pick-Your-Own business is in full swing, open seven days a week. By 9 a.m. on Thursday, Sullivan was getting ready to welcome a school group, one of dozens that will visit the farm this season to learn some of the science involved in growing apples. They have daily field trips scheduled every day for the next five weeks. She and son Brian will pull wagons full of lively students and parents through the rows to talk about apple varieties, pollination, the importance of bees and the proper way to pick apples. "You carefully twist them off the branch, not pull," Sullivan said. "If they don't have a stem they won't keep. And you know that saying 'one bad apple can spoil the barrel'? It's true." A VERY OLD TREE Banker Orchards has 75 acres in apples and pumpkins cultivated by the Sullivans, including three sons, Andrew, Brian and Dan. They purchased the apple farm from the Banker family in 1979. Walking through the orchards, turning south from a wagon lane, Brian pointed to the centenarian, the "grandfather tree" planted on this land 100 years ago. Its bark has grown gnarly around a giant maw in the tree's center that looks like a huge, silent yawn. "It's a variety called Tolman's Sweet," he said. "They aren't grown much anymore. The tree did really well this year." Sometimes written as Talman or Tom Sweet, heritage growers date the apple variety to the 15th century, one of the oldest apples in the country. The trees are renowned for longevity, their green fruit grows clustered around new branches. At the busy Bankers market, as the growers began their morning school tour, shopkeepers kept a brisk business that will continue into the Christmas season. Sullivan said their holiday fare extends through Dec. 23, with wreaths and boughs popular among local families and businesses. "We have a folder this thick with orders on file," Sullivan said, indicating some three inches. "People will call on the phone and ask 'will you do that again?' Pruning apple trees starts in December, even as their artisans begin making wreaths by hand. Holiday pies and Christmas pine carry their operations into winter. FIND OUT MORE The wagon rides, petting zoo, the orchard Fairy Trail with gnomes and magical little folk (follow the mushrooms) and old-fashioned coin-op rides for children make Banker Orchards a popular draw for families. Outdoor activities are free, with tables and rockers on the porch to take a load off busy feet Banker Orchards is located at 1037 Route 3 in Plattsburgh, open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Find out more on their Facebook page: facebook.com/bankerorchards.

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Celebrating 100 years at Banker Orchards

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