The oldest cultivated beings on the farm are apple trees. When we arrived as apprentices in April they were flowering with beautiful white blossoms; the bees buzzing around them, birds swooping above. The first tiny fruits were joyously noticed, but still the long-lived stalwarts that we walked amongst every day were less often greeted and noticed than the more rapidly growing, flourishing lettuces and greens, zucchini and potatoes, broccoli and tomatoes that we have learned to sow, carefully tend, and harvest through months of farming in this amazing environment.

Now the apples are starting to ripen and are ready for harvest. The trees that we were so excited to learn about now inspire a deep reverence as we begin to more carefully work with them to understand their growth and needs, varieties and flavors of fruit. We prune them and it feels relieving; harvest and sample and we feel enlivened, joyful; learn about their history and pruning techniques from the wider Oz community and feel once again part of a long-lived, vital, connected community with intricately-shaped (sometimes knobbly and gnarled) beings at the core.

We are so glad to share the first bounty from these trees with you and have you join in the crisp, sweet appreciation of this new season’s harvest. And we hope that you will all come to greet and thank the trees themselves at this year’s Harvest Celebration in October. We can’t wait for the pies and a full day dedicated to sharing enthusiasm for these thriving beings with the entire community connected to them.

Laura - Oz Apprentice