weston antique apple orchard & isabelle weston memorial trail - new berlin, wi
Years ago, my husband came home from the West Allis Farmer's Market with a bag of apples. It was a mix of antique apples from Weston's Antique Apple Orchard. So many apples we hadn't heard of before. Unique, visually, and in taste as well. The approach of autumn always brings out a craving for apples. We're lucky that here in Wisconsin we have lots of great apple orchards to choose from.
If you're looking for something unique, for a literal taste of history, Weston's Antique Apples can serve it up. They grow over 90 varieties! I confess, I've driven by their orchard in New Berlin several times, but only recently stopped to check it out. Their harvest season has yet to hit the market, but I discovered, via the New Berlin Historical Park, that part of their orchard features a memorial trail in honor of family matriarch Isabelle Weston, and is open to the public. The trail, which is listed on the trail map for the New Berlin Historical Park, caught my eye. So, I took a trip to the Historical Park (see separate listing), and once I'd taken in the historic buildings there, walked across the street to the historic, working orchard, and walked the trail through it.
I was glad to see so many of the trees filled with fruit, especially in such a dry summer. I also noted that they have cherry trees, and pear trees, in the orchard as well. There were hawks circling in the blue sky above, and Blue Jays calling from the surrounding woodlands. Looking at the trees in the orchard, some dating back to the early 1900's, it's amazing to see that they are still going strong and bearing fruit. A testament to the love and care they have been given over the decades by a family with apple farming in their bones. I noted that many of the apple trees were living works of art in their own right. The shapes of their limbs reaching out and up, towards the sun. The fruit they bear an offering.
The view from the trailhead, just to the west of the historic Freewill Baptist Church, is stunning. You can see trees and valleys for miles. The orchard was donated to the City of New Berlin in 2004, and is considered a city park. However, the Weston family still owns and runs the business at the site. Apples are not for the picking. They can be purchased on site, in season, or at West Allis, Shorewood, and Madison Farmer's Markets. Tentative harvest events are scheduled for this fall in conjunction with events at the New Berlin Historical Park.
For more details: The orchard was featured in an episode of Wisconsin Foodie several years back, including an interview with orchardist Ken Weston. There's a great feature in American Lifestyle magazine about Ken Weston and the orchard's history, and the different varieties of apples they grow.
Sadly, Ken passed away in the spring of 2021. The orchard, still in the care of his children, will carry his legacy onward.
Location: 19760 W. National Avenue, New Berlin, WI (Waukesha County)
For more information click here and here.
If you're looking for something unique, for a literal taste of history, Weston's Antique Apples can serve it up. They grow over 90 varieties! I confess, I've driven by their orchard in New Berlin several times, but only recently stopped to check it out. Their harvest season has yet to hit the market, but I discovered, via the New Berlin Historical Park, that part of their orchard features a memorial trail in honor of family matriarch Isabelle Weston, and is open to the public. The trail, which is listed on the trail map for the New Berlin Historical Park, caught my eye. So, I took a trip to the Historical Park (see separate listing), and once I'd taken in the historic buildings there, walked across the street to the historic, working orchard, and walked the trail through it.
I was glad to see so many of the trees filled with fruit, especially in such a dry summer. I also noted that they have cherry trees, and pear trees, in the orchard as well. There were hawks circling in the blue sky above, and Blue Jays calling from the surrounding woodlands. Looking at the trees in the orchard, some dating back to the early 1900's, it's amazing to see that they are still going strong and bearing fruit. A testament to the love and care they have been given over the decades by a family with apple farming in their bones. I noted that many of the apple trees were living works of art in their own right. The shapes of their limbs reaching out and up, towards the sun. The fruit they bear an offering.
The view from the trailhead, just to the west of the historic Freewill Baptist Church, is stunning. You can see trees and valleys for miles. The orchard was donated to the City of New Berlin in 2004, and is considered a city park. However, the Weston family still owns and runs the business at the site. Apples are not for the picking. They can be purchased on site, in season, or at West Allis, Shorewood, and Madison Farmer's Markets. Tentative harvest events are scheduled for this fall in conjunction with events at the New Berlin Historical Park.
For more details: The orchard was featured in an episode of Wisconsin Foodie several years back, including an interview with orchardist Ken Weston. There's a great feature in American Lifestyle magazine about Ken Weston and the orchard's history, and the different varieties of apples they grow.
Sadly, Ken passed away in the spring of 2021. The orchard, still in the care of his children, will carry his legacy onward.
Location: 19760 W. National Avenue, New Berlin, WI (Waukesha County)
For more information click here and here.
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