It's looking like a strong year for fruits here at my farm - the trees and bushes are full!
Fresh fruit is one of nature's most delicious products. This season, we've already picked many raspberries, strawberries, and currants, but all the others - the blueberries, peaches, apricots, plums, apples, and pears are developing so nicely. I have an orchard full of more than 200 different fruit trees. I also have fruits growing on espaliers and in tree groves - those I've established, and those that are original to the farm. It's always exciting to see how they grow and then eat them fresh after picking.
Here's what's growing now. Enjoy these photos.
Walking into my orchard these days, one cannot miss all the beautiful peaches on my trees. Every one is filled with developing fruit.
This orchard surrounds three sides of my pool. Many of the trees here were bare-root cuttings I nurtured in pots before planting. Now, they are much taller and so lush. When choosing to grow fruit stock, it is important to select those that are best for your area’s climate and soil.
Here are more peaches. Peaches get their pinkish hue from anthocyanins, a class of water‑soluble pigments. When the peaches ripen, the chlorophyll, which gives them the green color, breaks down showing the anthocyanins. The amount and type of anthocyanins present determine how deep and vivid the pink or red blush will be.
Look how beautiful this fruit is. Some of the peach varieties include ‘Garnet Beauty’, ‘Lars Anderson’, ‘Polly’, ‘Red Haven’, and ‘Reliance’.
They won’t be ready for some weeks, but they’re all thriving. Peaches love an area where they can soak up the sunshine throughout the whole day. Everyone at the farm waits eagerly for peach harvest time.
I also planted many types of Asian pear, Pyrus pyrifolia, which is native to East Asia. These trees include Hosui, Niitaka, Shinko, and Shinseiko. Asian pears have a high water content and a crisp, grainy texture, which is very different from the European varieties.
Some of the other pears in the orchard are ‘Bosc,’ ‘Bartlett’, ‘Columbia’, ‘D’Amalis’, ‘Ginnybrook’, ‘McLaughlin’, ‘Nova’, ‘Patten’, ‘Seckel’, ‘Stacyville’, and ‘Washington State’.
And don’t forget the apples – I have an entire section of the orchard dedicated to delicious, sweet apples. When selecting a place to plant an apple tree, choose a north- or east-facing slope. These orchard apple trees include: ‘Baldwin’, ‘Black Oxford’, ‘Cortland’, ‘Cox’s Orange Pippin’, ‘Esopus Spitzenburg’, ‘Fuji’, ‘Golden Russet’, ‘Grimes Golden’, ‘Honeycrisp’, ‘Liberty’, ‘Redfield’, ‘Roxbury Russet’ ‘Windham Russet’, and more.
But my apples are not just in the orchard. I grow hundreds of apple trees – some that were here when I acquired the property and others I planted soon after moving here.
Many ask what I do with all the apples. It’s become a family tradition to have my granddaughter, Jude, come up with friends for a weekend in autumn to manually press as many apples as possible, making quarts and quarts of cider. It’s so delicious.
This is a plum. My plum varieties include ‘Green Gage’, ‘Mount Royal’, ‘NY9’, and ‘Stanley’. I also grow various plum hybrids, such as ‘Black Ice’, ‘Grenville’, ‘Kaga’, ‘Pipestone’, ‘Toka’, and ‘Waneta’.
I also grow sour cherries in the orchard and elsewhere, and I’ve seen lots of them growing beautifully; however, the squirrels like them too, and often get them first.
Across the carriage road on one side is my very productive blueberry patch. I always have many, many blueberries. These will be ready to pick very soon.
Plump, juicy, and sweet, with vibrant colors from red to the deepest purple-black. I love to use blueberries for jams, jellies, and pies, but they’re also wonderful with cereal, in pancakes and cobblers, and of course, in handfuls on their own. I grow ‘Bluegold’, ‘Chandler’, ‘Darrow’, ‘Jersey’, ‘Patriot,’ and others.
Quince is a fall fruit that grows like apples and pears, but with an unusually irregular shape and often gray fuzz. These fruits turn a golden yellow when ready to pick in fall.
Just along the carriage road surrounding my back hayfield, I have a stand of Kousa dogwood trees that produce an abundance of fruit. The soft, custard-like pulp inside the fruit is edible and loved by some of my outdoor grounds crew.
There are more apples filling the trees in another part of the farm. This tree was here when I acquired the property.
Outside my stable in front of the peafowl and goose pens, I have this espalier of pear trees. Espalier refers to an ancient technique, resulting in trees that grow flat, either against a wall, or along a wire-strung framework. Many kinds of trees respond beautifully to the espalier treatment, but fruit trees, like apple and pear, were some of the earliest examples. And, because necessary sunlight reaches every piece of fruit that these trees bear, espalier pruning remains standard procedure at commercial orchards in France. I planted six ‘Shinseiki’ and four ‘Nijisseiki’ pear trees.
In my berry patch behind the main greenhouse, I have lots of raspberry bushes. We start picking the black and red raspberries in late June and continue picking until they’re gone. Summer-bearing raspberry bushes produce one crop each season that lasts about one month.
These must be picked and handled very carefully as they are very delicate. They should also be checked for insects – they love them.
Not far are the currants, in translucent white, dark purple, and bright ruby red.
And just look at some of my European blackberries. I’ll enjoy so many this season. No plants give sweeter returns than fruiting trees and shrubs. Aside from all the vegetables I grow, I’m so pleased with the many fruits here at my farm.
I have always loved succulents. With their fleshy leaves and extraordinary forms, succulents are easy to maintain and make excellent container plants - I have quite a few of these popular specimens in my collection.
During a heavy rainstorm that lasted all of yesterday, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, planted a selection of succulents in two of my faux bois planter boxes. These will be displayed outside my Winter House where they will flourish under the bright summer light.
Enjoy these photos.
Not long ago, my head gardener, Ryan McCallister, brought these plants back from Maine. Succulents are plants that have thickened, fleshy leaves, stems, or roots designed to retain water, enabling them to thrive in environments with limited rainfall or high temperatures.
The plan was to pot them up in two of these faux boix planters.
They’re very charming – each with a squirrel positioned on one end.
Each container has two drainage holes. A flat stone is placed over each hole to help with drainage and to prevent any soil from falling out.
Here are the two holes covered at the bottom of the planter. Clay shards left over from broken pots can also be used – so be sure not to throw the pieces away.
Ryan fills the planters with the appropriate medium. Because succulents don’t like wet roots, it is important to use a soil mixture that will drain well.
I use Miracle-Gro Indoor Potting Mix for Cactus & Succulent. This soil mix features a fast-draining formula, specifically blended to promote successful growth for cacti, potted palms, citrus, and other succulents.
Ryan adds the food – a very important part of gardening. Each planter gets a sprinkling of Osmocote – small time released plant food particles known as prills that are filled with nutrients.
These prills coat a core of nutrients including nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The resin-coating is made from linseed oil and as the plant’s root system takes-up nutrition from the soil, it also takes up the needed nutrients from the Osmocote.
… and then he mixes it thoroughly in the soil with his Hori-Hori gardening knife.
Ryan lightly packs in the soil and makes sure there is enough. The container should be filled to just under its lip, so soil does not fall out when watered.
If you like growing plants, but don’t really have a lot of time to care for them, I encourage you to consider growing succulents. With their fleshy leaves and interesting shapes, succulents are easy to maintain and make excellent container specimens.
Succulent comes from the Latin word “sucus,” which means juice or sap. It’s also a nod to the nourishing leaves.
Ryan carefully plants each succulent in the box taking into consideration each one’s size – he uses taller specimens in the back and shorter ones in front.
These plants can be planted closely together, so don’t worry if some of them touch each other.
Ryan also selects the plants creatively, so there is a varied use of color and texture in each container. Here he is using a widger to remove small plants.
The widger is made for Johnny’s Selected Seeds. It’s a very handy multipurpose tool. It has a convex stainless steel blade that delicately separates tiny plants and helps to lift up the root balls.
Shades of green are a given for succulents, but one can also find succulents that are blue, purple, pink, orange, and even red!
Ryan makes sure all empty spaces are filled. It’s nearly complete – all these plants will do so well in this planter box.
Ryan does the same for the second planter. Succulents grow in so many different and interesting formations. I often bring succulents into my home when I entertain – guests love seeing and learning about the different varieties. In this trough, many are sedums. There are many, different varieties and species of sedum, also called “stonecrop.” Depending on their growth habit, sedums can be categorized as both low-growing and upright.
After Ryan is done, the filled planters get a good watering.
These troughs are now ready for display outside my Winter House.
Succulents thrive in bright light and should do excellently there.
Entertaining at my farm is always so much fun, especially when I host momentous occasions.
Last weekend, I partnered with the Friends of John Jay Homestead to host a remarkable Semiquincentennial celebration, commemorating the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The event also honored John Jay and the restoration of his historic home here in Bedford. I hope you saw some of the photos on my Instagram page @marthastewart48. More than 200 guests were in attendance. The evening began with cocktails and hors d'oeuvres at my stable courtyard. A short walk to my Equipment Barn led to a wonderful feast centered around a patriotic theme with foods prepared by Chef Pierre Schaedelin and his team at PS Tailored Events. We enjoyed Chilled Garden Pea Soup, Fried Chicken, Grilled Salmon, Heirloom Tomato Salad, Red Bliss Potato Salad, and my daughter's flavorful Chopped Salad. The program included a musical performance by my nephew, Christopher Herbert, and his accompanist, Chris Reynolds. I delivered the opening remarks and offered the toast. And then it was back to my stable for our giant flag cake dessert and some champagne. Despite a little rain, the event was a great and memorable success for all.
Here are some more photos, enjoy. I wish all of you a safe and joyful Semiquincentennial Fourth of July weekend.
The afternoon began with a visit from United States Senator from New York, Kirsten Gillibrand. I toured her around my farm and then we had photos taken in front of my pavilion. See a video on my Instagram page @marthastewart48.
I had flags displayed along my Boxwood Allée – 22 in all. It was the main pathway for guests going from my stable to dinner in my Equipment Barn. All the flags were provided by the Annin Flag Company.
My stable was the perfect venue for refreshments. Bottles of wine from Patz & Hall Winery were chilling on the bar.
Patz & Hall is highly regarded for its Sonoma, California single-vineyard Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs.
A party just isn’t complete without Still G.I.N., an ultra-premium, citrus-forward gin created by Dr. Dre and my friend, Snoop Dogg.
Also served – Gin & Juice By Dre and Snoop, a premium ready-to-drink cocktail, here in mango, pink lemonade, and passionfruit flavors.
And of course, guests enjoyed Martha-ritas with Casa Dragones Blanco Tequila.
For those preferring zero-proof refreshments, there was Pepsi and PepsiCo’s Poppi, a prebiotic sparkling brand combining fruit juice, apple cider vinegar, and prebiotics.
Wait staff provided by PS Tailored Events passed around trays of fresh bites.
The hors d’oeuvres included marinated salmon and crispy rice cakes, ricotta and roasted tomato and basil on baguette croutons, deviled quail eggs with double smoked bacon, chicken-artichoke salad on baguette croutons, pigs in blankets, and short rib tacos with pickled red cabbage and guacamole. (Photo by Shane Handler)
Because the forecast for the day called for spotty showers, I made the decision to hold dinner in my giant Equipment Barn. Flags were draped from both the north and south entrances. Fortunately, the walk from the stable to the Barn was dry and pleasant.
Guests were offered some pre-dinner snacks on the tables – caramel corn, scones, and cherries.
Dishes were placed in close reach of every guest. Everything was set up beautifully thanks to Brett Cameron and her team at La Maison Fête. The programs which included the menu and information for the event, were made by Heidi Stryker from John Jay Homestead. (Photo by Shane Handler)
The first course was Chilled Garden Pea Soup made with peas from my garden.
Dinner was served family style on long tables where everyone could serve themselves and interact with each other. (Photo by Shane Handler)
I made the opening remarks and welcomed all the guests to my Cantitoe Corners Farm. I also spoke a little about John Jay and the history of his homestead which was just so lovingly restored here in Bedford, New York. (Photo by Peter T. Michaelis)
President of Friends of John Jay Homestead, Caroline MacGill, also addressed our group of attendees. (Photo by Peter T. Michaelis)
Chef Pierre and I planned the delicious menu. This is the Heirloom Tomato Salad served with pickled red onions.
The Red Bliss Potato Salad was served with gherkins, boiled eggs, and parsley.
And this is my daughter’s recipe. Alexis’s wonderful Chopped Salad with fresh corn, cucumber, hericots vert, red pepper, and cherry tomatoes. (Photo by Shane Handler)
More flags hung from above creating a festive and patriotic scene.
Following the salads, platters of salmon were also served.
… Along with Fried Chicken with barbecue sauce.
My nephew Christopher Herbert sang three songs – America the Beautiful, Aaron Copeland’s I bought me a Cat, and the American Anthem. His longtime accompanist is Chris Reynolds.
The dinner and entertainment were well received. It was so nice to see such an enthusiastic crowd – more than 200 guests fit so comfortably in my Barn.
At the end of dinner, Christopher sang our national anthem, the Star Spangled Banner.
Afterward, guests were ushered back to the stable for dessert and champagne.(Photo by Peter T. Michaelis)
The bubbly was provided by our friends at Veuve Cliquot.
The flag cake was enormous. It was made using 167 eggs, 36 pounds of flour, 32 pounds of sugar, 16 pounds of butter, three gallons of milk, six pounds of cream cheese, 24 pounds of strawberries, 13 pounds of raspberries, seven pounds of blueberries, and other ingredients. Chefs Molly Wenk and Sarah Carey who both work with me on a lot of projects, worked tirelessly over two days to make it.
Here I am with a glass of champagne about to make my celebratory toast. (Photo by Shane Handler)
John Jay Homestead program coordinator, Haley Rossi, and a team of volunteers prepared more than 200 gift bags for the guests.
The gift bag included: a book on John Jay, another book entitled “The Greatest Sentence Ever Written” by Walter Isaacson, a puzzle of the John Jay Homestead designed by Katharine Barnwell, Shortbread Cookie from the local LMNOP Bakery, The Feed Project Bags courtesy of John Jay Homestead, a Flamingo Estate scented candle, and my own Elm Biosciences A30 Elemental Serum.
And just in case we got a little more rain – we were prepared. Everyone also got a Totes red, white, and blue striped umbrella.
The gathering served as a meaningful celebration of John Jay’s legacy and the 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence. I was so happy to host the event. Happy 250th Anniversary, America!
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