The Friends of Piper’s Orchard hosted the 11th annual Festival of Fruit on a beautiful sunny day on September 16th. We had a great turnout, with a pie contest, pies and cider for sale, cider pressing demonstrations, live music from Blue Star Creeper, cider and apple tasting, bee hives for the kids to safely investigate, orchard and garden tours, art in the orchard, a Master Gardeners clinic, and more.
We hosted the 10th annual Festival of Fruit on September 24th. We were fortunate to have good weather and a good crowd who enjoyed Tilly’s Café, where they bought both store-bought and (even better) home made pies from the apple pie contest.
A number of visitors brought apples from their yards for identification, where representatives from the Seattle Tree Fruit Society were able to use an application to aid in identification.
We made lots of cider in advance with apples from Piper’s Orchard and others from the Seattle area. But kids also had a chance to practice making some.
We also offered a number of apples from the orchard and other heirloom varieties for tasting.
We were fortunate to have some talented musicians to entertain us.
Kids enjoyed creating their own apple art.
Mason bees visit the orchard, staying in houses provided by City Fruit, and pollinate the trees.
The Master Gardeners provided information and activities for our visitors.
The 10th annual Piper’s Orchard Festival of Fruit is on Saturday, September 24th, at the Carkeek Park Nancy Malmgren Environmental Learning Center and Piper’s Orchard from 10:00AM – 2:00PM. Mother Nature is predicting beautiful fall weather. So, come enjoy:
Bruce and Jane MacLean let visitors taste apple and pear slices from the varieties grown in Piper’s Orchard
We’re celebrating our 10th annual Festival of Fruit on Saturday, September 24, 2016 from 10:00AM to 2:00PM. Come enter a pie (or other baked treat) for the contest.
We had a great turnout (over 200) at our 9th festival, with informative presentations from Adam Wargacki and Sam Benowitz, founder of Raintree Nursery, lots of cider and pie for sale at Tilly’s Café, live music from Blue Star Creeper and Will Morgan, cider pressing, a pie contest, kids crafts, and tours of the wildlife habitat demonstration garden and Piper’s Orchard.
Thanks to all our volunteers and visitors who helped make it a success.
The Friends of Piper’s Orchard invite the community to join them in celebrating Carkeek Park’s historic orchard from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19. Events will include cider pressing and tasting, live music, an apple pie contest, activities for kids, guided tours of the historic orchard and more.
The event takes place at and around the Nancy Malmgren Environmental Center, 950 NW Carkeek Park Road. Visitors are encouraged to park below the learning center. Volunteers will be directing guests.
This event is free and open to the public. Activities will include:
We’re holding the 8th annual Festival of Fruit on September 13, 2014 from 10:00AM – 2:00PM at the Carkeek Park Environmental Learning Center. Events will include cider pressing and tasting, live music, activities for kids, guided tours of the historic orchard and more. In addition to the regular Festival, we’re excited to host a presentation on making cider from 2:30PM to 4:00PM in the ELC.
Experts including the renowned Dr. Bob Norton, retired research scientist from WSU Extension in Mt. Vernon and Shaun Shepherd from Portland’s Home Orchard Society, will give talks on apple varieties and identification.
Visitors are encouraged to try out making cider the old-fashioned way, with a hand cranked cider press.
Visitors are welcome to donate homemade pies. Fresh warm cider and slices of homemade pie will be available at a nominal cost, with proceeds to support ongoing maintenance of the orchard.
Expert volunteers who have painstakingly restored the orchard will lead tours, pointing out the heirloom varieties that are going strong as well as younger trees and newly planted grape vines.
Visitors will have the chance to taste heirloom apple varieties that are grown in the orchard.
Little ones will enjoy organized arts and crafts activities.
The 7th annual Piper’s Orchard Festival of Fruit is taking place on Saturday, September 14, 2013 at the Carkeek Park Environmental Learning Center and Piper’s Orchard from 10AM – 2PM. Join us for cider pressing, a pie contest, fruit tree experts, music, kids’ crafts, and more.
Our keynote speaker is Dr. Beverly Gerdeman, a noted researcher and entomologist from Washington State University. Dr. Gerdeman will share techniques for protecting backyard fruit from damaging insects – including the newly arrived and dreaded spotted wing drosophila. Recognized internationally as a fruit tree expert, Dr. Gerdeman is an engaging and fun presenter. She will speak at 10:00.
Competitive bakers are encouraged to enter the apple pie contest, with winners taking home prizes. Entries are due at the festival by 10:00.
We’ll be pressing fresh cider with a hand-cranked cider press. Fresh warm cider and slices of donated pies will be available from Tillie’s Café at a nominal cost, with proceeds supporting ongoing maintenance of the orchard. Buy a slice when Tillie’s Café opens at 10:30, and another after the pie contest results are announced at 11:45!
You can taste heirloom apple varieties from the orchard, enjoy live music, have your kids participate in crafts, and visit booths to learn about mason bees, City Fruit, and Seattle Tree Fruit Society.
Around 12:45 there will be a guided walk (weather permitting) up to Piper’s Orchard, less than 1/2 mile from the ELC. You can learn more about the orchard and see our beautiful apple-laden trees.
Visitors are encouraged to park below the learning center. Volunteers will be directing guests.
The 2013 Festival of Fruit, which will be held Saturday, September 14 from 10AM – 2PM, will be our seventh annual festival, and will celebrate several anniversaries. Andrew Piper purchased the land on which the orchard lies in 1888, 125 years ago this year. And the present day activities of releasing the abandoned orchard from its blackberry and ivy prison began in 1983, thanks to the enthusiasm of Daphne Lewis, a recently graduated landscape architect, who discovered the orchard while making a master-plan survey for Carkeek Park restoration.
We expect this year to be as fun and informative as the previous festivals. Our keynote speaker, Dr. Beverly Gerdeman, a noted WSU researcher and entomologist, will discuss protecting home orchards from damaging insects using organic, biological, and IPM techniques. She will also discuss her cutting-edge research on the spotted wing drosophila, a new pest and one now threatening backyard fruit here. Dr. Gerdeman, who is recognized internationally as an expert, is also a talented speaker. She is smart, articulate, funny, engaging, and an excellent communicator.
And, as in past years, we’ll be pressing cider, holding an apple pie contest, selling pies and cider, featuring live music, kids crafts, Piper’s Orchard apple variety tasting, and informative booths from City Fruit, Seattle Tree Fruit Society, etc. After the morning’s lecture, apple pie contest, and other activities at Carkeek Park’s Environmental Learning Center, you’ll have the opportunity to walk up to Piper’s Orchard, and learn more about the orchard and the Piper family history, permaculture, the grapes we’re growing, and more.
Here are some pictures from last year’s festival.
Pies and fresh pressed cider sold like hotcakes at Tillie’s Cafe.
Everyone got into the act with Will Murray’s mechanical cider press
11 scrumptious pies competed for $50 Swansons Gift Card and vintage pie themed goodies
Visitors walked up to the orchard to enjoy the sunshine and learn more about the trees, permaculture, and the orchard’s history.
Kids and their parents alike enjoyed making dream weavers, facilitated by artist David Francis.
Blue Star Creeper provided music while folks were pressing cider.
6th annual festival was a great success, with about 275 attendees, tasty fresh-pressed cider, 11 terrific pies in the pie contest, tasty pies and cider available from Tillie’s Cafe, music by Blue Star Creeper, kids crafts, informative booths, a trip to Piper’s Orchard, wonderful weather, and electricity – which greatly facilitated the interesting presentations in the Carkeek Park Environmental Learning Center.
We thank all the volunteers who helped make the festival a success (including Boy Scouts, Campfire and Hillel), the Holman Road QFC that provided us with a generous gift card to purchase supplies, Swansons Nursery that provided a $50 gift card for the winning pie, Starbucks for tasty coffee, and Seattle Parks and Recreation for providing staffing and facilities in support of the festival.
Following are photos from the festival.
Particular thanks go out to:
Friends of Pipers Orchard 