MOSTLY apples and apple juice, crabapples,  quince,  and holly 

but we sometimes have small quantities of pears, plums,raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, figs, rhubarb, kiwis and other fruit in season; drop by or phone or e-mail us

OUR LATEST ADDITION IS HONEY, FROM OUR BEES

CHUNK (COMB) STYLE ONLY, UNPASTEURIZED, NO ADDITIVES

WE CURRENTLY HAVE A VERY LIMITED SUPPLY

HONEY IS HEALTHFUL, CONTAINING SIMPLE SUGARS (SUPERIOR TO CANE SUGAR), ANTI- BACTERIAL AND ANTI-FUNGAL. 

WE USE IT IN MANY WAYS, INCLUDING IN COFFEE AND TEA

*******************************

 RASPBERRIES ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE

Juice is available all season.

********Check near the bottom of this page to find out when varieties of apples are ready and available.

TO CONTACT US CALL 250-474-5043, FAX 250-474-4577 OR E-MAIL US AT

    holly@hollychristmas.com

OR

hollychristmas@shaw.ca

We will try to keep this website up-to-date. And please tell us if you use it. 

We rarely ship fruit, especially out-of-the-country ... it is "farm-gate" or "pick-up-at-the farm" only. Fruit weighs heavily and is expensive to pack and ship. 

We have some of the standard apple varieties like macintosh and spartan but we specialize in odd or old varieties than never make it to the supermarket ... this is an opportunity to try some of them.

Our address is 3817 Duke Road in Metchosin (more sheep than people) , near Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V9C 4B2.  It is about a 1/2 hour drive from Victoria. 

From Victoria take Highway #1 north, and the Colwood exit #12.  You are on 1-A and on Sooke Road.  Continue to follow  Sooke Road, past Colwood Corners (London Drugs & Thrifty Foods), continue past Royal Roads University, turn left on Metchosin Road, go completely through the large gravel pit on Metchosin road and turn left onto Duke Road, then down by the water, watch for our sign "Apples" on the water side. 

Alternately, take Highway #1 north, exit to Langford exit #14 which puts you on the Veteran's Memorial Parkway.  Follow the parkway past the Westshore Shopping Centre (Canadian Tire, Wal-mart) until the parkway ends abruptly at a "T" intersection.  You can't miss this as there is a rather imposing rock cliff facing you. Turn left, then right at the next "T" intersection and you are on Metchosin Road.  When completely through the large gravel pit, turn left onto Duke Road, then down by the water, watch for our sign "Apples". 

We've had to keep the tall, wrought-iron gate closed but turn in, lean out your car window and push the button.  Same when leaving.  But PLEASE, don't let any passing deer see you using the button which opens the gate.  We hope they never learn!!  The gate will close behind you and you can open it again when leaving.   

We specialize in many varieties, some of which never normally reach stores.   None of our apples are stored, so they are only available in the growing season.  They are not waxed or otherwise treated.  Apple varieties which were or will be available are:  yellow transparent, summer red, gravenstein, wealthy, spartan, MacIntosh, yellow delicious, red delicious, jonagold, melrose, mutsu, coxes, king, gala, northern spy, winter banana, fuji, elstar, bramleys (an English cooking apple).  We have two varieties of crabapples (dolgo & hyslop) which make great jelly. Also, quince, not a pear (but looks like a pear), but they make a great jelly. And in May, we have rhubarb and later off and on we have raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and figs.  We have over 400 fruit trees but some years some varieties refuse to co-operate and we get very few of them.

DID YOU KNOW?:   Apples of each variety are grafted onto a root-stock.  The  grafted wood (which becomes the main part of the tree on which the fruit grows)  perpetuates the variety (i.e. spartan, mutsu etc.) and the root-stock controls the ultimate size of the tree (standard, dwarf, semi-dwarf etc).  So apples are not  normally reproduced from seedlings. Of course it is from seedlings that new varieties generally arise ...  seedlings that are discovered to be flavorful, disease resistent etc. which are then perpetuated by grafting.  Most of our trees, like in most orchards now,  are dwarf or semi-dwarf in size (4 to12 ft in height)... easier to care for and pick. 

PRICES:   Various varieties of apples, crabapples, quince, pears etc are $1.00/ lb.   Figs are $3.00 / lb. Apple juice is $5.00 / 2 litre bottle or 2 bottles (4 litres) for $9.00. A 1 litre bottle is $3.00.  Rhubarb, when available, is $1.00/lb. Raspberries are $2.00/pint (over 1/2 pound). Blueberries and blackberries are $3.00/qt basket (over a pound). Comb/chunk honey is $8.00/ 500 gm bottle and $15.00/1 kg bottle. 

In limited quantities, in  late August,  we  have some Desert King (green type) figs. In October we  have quince,  which are a hard, yellow, pear-like fruit which can be baked, or used in chutney and various recipes, but are best know for making great jam or jelly.  We sometimes have a few Italian prune and yellow plums  and occasionally will have some pears (Josephine de Malines & Flemish beauty) and sour cherries . Also kiwi fruit in November/December.

If you need recipes there are many on the web.  Try Googling "quince recipes" or whatever you are interested in.

Most of the apples are "multipurpose".  That is, they are good for eating (depending on your taste) and cooking. Some make a softer, apple sauce type pie, and others a lumpier pie.  Some people mix them in pie. 

Our apple juice is made from our whole, fresh-picked apples,  UV pasteurized by Phil's Farm on Oldfield Road, we have it available in 2-litre plastic bottles at 5 dollars or 2 bottles (4 litres) for 9.00.  We have a few 1 litre bottles for 3.00. 

Absolutely no additives,  frozen.  Thaw, shake and enjoy. We sometimes add some ice cubes and a little water in the glass, as it is that concentrated.  Our apple sauce is brown due to suspended apple;  a clear apple juice generally means clarifying agents have been added and most of the nutrients have been removed.

The following tree fruits are available seasonally.  We leave them on the website simply to show you what will be available as they ripen from approximately mid-August until mid-January each year. We'll note below which are actually available currently.

We will annotate the varieties listed below WHEN THEY ARE AVAILABLE:  Described in Red text.  In Green are upcoming and in blue are finished this season.

APPLES AND OTHER TREE FRUIT:

Some limited varieties of apples should be available in late July and some will be available until early December. 

VARIETIES BELOW IN RED ARE  AVAILABLE NOW.  THOSE IN GREEN  ARE NOT YET RIPE AND READY ... AND IN BLUE ARE FINISHED FOR THE SEASON.

Sour cherries:  We sometimes have a few but not in 2008.  Contact us in early July if you are interested and we'll save you some for 2009.

Yellow transparent:     Finished for the season. One of the earliest. The birds get most of them. Yellow-green.  Especially good for pies. A neighbour still has a few .. contact us and we'll send you there.

Summer red.    Somewhat sweeter than many  apples when fully ripe.  Our earliest main crop apple.    We don't like to pick them too early.  Flavorful, crunchy but keep only a few weeks.

Dolgo crabapples: Late August and early September . Dolgo are small, deep red crabapples.  Some people like these because the jelly is slightly pink in color but we think the flavor of the jelly of both crabapples is similar.

Hyslop crabapples:    They are a  large (compared to the earlier dolgo crabapples), yellow and red crabapple.  Generally available in September. They make excellent juice for jelly.  It would be advisable to call (474-5043) or e-mail us so that we can insure that a bag or box containing the quantity you want is set aside for you. 

Gravenstein:   Gravenstein are not the prettiest apple but popular amongst those who know this variety.  Said to originate in Denmark.A distinctive flavor; good for eating and especially good for pies. 

Wealthy:    A green and red apple which is good eating but also makes a good applesauce because it tends to discolor less with exposure to air .... the result is a lighter applesauce than made from most apples. It dates back to 1869 and is noted as a particularly good eating and cooking apple.

Spartan:  The old stand by. We hope they will be available by mid-September, possibly by the 18th.  Probably the most popular but the newer Jonagold are running a close second. A deep red.  Good for pies or eating.   This apple was developed in Summerland by Agriculture Canada as a  McIntosh/ Yellow Newtown/ Pippin cross.  Crisp, pure white flesh, small core.  Cooks soft and smooth. A good keeper, often stores well until March.

Mcintosh:  An old Canadian favorite, originated in Eastern Ontario in the 1820s.  It ranges from medium to large in size and from round to oblate in shape with a green base and bright to deep red color. Looks very much like spartan. It is a high quality apple that is prized for dessert purposed. Cooks soft and smooth.A distinctive aroma and a delicious "tangy" flavour. .

King:   A large apple, convenient sized for cooking but excellent to eat. Crisp. An older variety hard to find. Stores well but tends to soften in storage.

Jonagold:   Excellent eating apple with crisp, juicy flesh and good flavor.  Also excellent for cooking ...  they tend to be large in size and so are easy to prepare.  Great in salads.  A cross between golden delicious and Jonathan.  Good keeper.

Gala:     Cross between Kidd's orange & golden delicious. An excellent quality eating apple.  Medium size fruit, cream flesh, firm, crisp, fine-textured, juicy and fairly sweet with good aromatic flavour.  Yellow with bright red stripes.  Will store for several months.

Elstar:   Golden delicious X Ingrid Marie cross.  Excellent eating apple.  Fairly new, medium sized apple from Holland with outstanding juiciness and tart-sweet flavour.  Greenish yellow flushed with bright red.  Stores for several months.

Melrose:  Jonathon X delicious cross. Ecellent cooking and eating apple.  Medium to large with firm, crisp, green-tinged flesh. Dull copper-red blush over greenish yellow skin; often russeted.  Stores for several months.

Northern Spy:    Originated in New York in the 1800's, a large, roundish apple, green sometimes with a red, striped coast.  flesh is firm tender and juicy.  A good eating apple but particularly prized for pies.  Best to order as we have a limited supply.

Bramley's Seedling:   The classic English cooking apple. Often very large.  Flesh tart, firm, yellowish and rather dry.  Smooth waxy skin yellowish green in colour with dull blotchy brownish red stripes. 

Cox's:      Not the nicest looking apple, red/green with a russeting but still a favorite English eating apple.  There are many sub-varieties with varying flavours.

Fuji:   . Cream colored inside, firm but juicy, sweet.  A dull red in color, excellent for all purposes. A late season apple. Stores well.

Mutsu:   Crisp, juicy with a distinctive, delicate tart-spicy flavour. Large, yellow-green blushed with coppery color.  Similar to golden delicious.  Good for cooking and baking, as well as eating out-of-hand.  Golden delicious X Indo.  Stores well.

Newtown (Newton):    Tart and tangy, hard and crisp.  Cooks firm.  Very good keepers, excellent for fresh eating and cooking.  May have originated in Newton, Long Island between 1700 and 1750 but some believe it is of English origin.  In any case it is probably one of the oldest apple cultivars still commonly available. 

Golden Delicious:   Not related to the red delicious.  Originated in Virginia in 1916.  Pale yellow, sometimes a light orange flush, one of the most popular apple varieties.  Sweet, somewhat soft,  and low in acidity. Keeps well.

Winter Banana:   This one is believed to have originated in Indiana, possibly in 1876.  A medium to large apple.  Pale yellow color with rosy blush. Waxy skin.  Juicy, tangy and aromatic, a little acidic  Good looking apple.  Stores for several months.

Karmijin de Sonneville:    We have several young trees which are just starting to produce.  We hope to have a larger supply next year.  The variety originated in Holland about 1971.  It is a cox's orange pipin cross with Jonathon (cox op x Jonathon).    It is attractive, red, very crisp, slightly honeyed, aromatic, acidic and russeted. It is suggested that it be stored for a couple of weeks (after picking) at which time it reaches its peak flavour

 Quince:   Available in October. Quince are a distinct yellow, slightly fuzzy, pear-shaped fruit. They are neither apple nor pear but an entirely different fruit.

Hard and astringent, attractive odor .... rarely eaten out of hand but made into jelly, baked, used in chutney etc. They are normally processed by simply chopping them up ...you don't have to bother to peel or core them unless you prefer to do so.  Process like you would make crabapple or other jellies.  Google "quince recipes". If you make jelly you will want to include this one, either pure or mixed with crabapple or something else.  Mixed with apple they enhance an "apple" pie.

We are told that 3 1/2 lbs of quince with 7 cups of water make about 4-6 cups of jelly;  about 6 1/2   8 oz jars. 

For some unknown reason about half the crop develop distinct splits.  Since you will usually be just chopping them up that is no problem, except that they do not keep more than a day or two without developing decay along the splits, which then has to be cut out during processing. 

Kiwi:    Available in December. Keep cool, bring out what you need into the warmth to ripen and enjoy.

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Email: holly@hollychristmas.com