Contact Us
1540 Mt Cardigan Rd
Alexandria, NH 03222
cardiganorchard@gmail.com
Pick Your Own Apples
Closed for the 2024 season.
September 1-October 29
10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Apples and other items available at the farm stand.
Donuts, Pies, & Cider are available Thursday-Sunday while supplies last.
Cardigan Mountain
Orchard Story
Steve and Nancy Bleiler moved to the small country town of Alexandria, New Hampshire in the late 70's with no intention of being apple farmers. They were both teachers and on a trip to NH and found this small quaint apple farm. They bought it thinking they would use some apples for their personal enjoyment.
The orchard was in rough shape when the Bleilers first acquired it. After a lot of hard work, the Lord enabled them to bring back almost all of the original trees and have since been planted many more. Today there are almost 1,000 apple trees!
Twenty years later, they had both left their careers teaching to focus their attention on the farm full time. These days, the whole family is involved with the business in various ways with the help of their sons William, Stephen, David and their families.
Everyone has worked hard and sacrificed a lot to get this small farm on its feet, but agree that it has all been worth it.
The Farm
Cardigan Mountain Orchard is a family business that has truly established itself and developed real roots in our community. Our main focus is growing apples, but we also work with other local growers to provide a variety of fruit and vegetables. Beginning in September the orchard is open for pick-your-own apples. Pie, jam, apple butter and other homemade goods are also available at our Country Store when open.
Nan's Trail (Dog Trail)
Nan's Trail is named after Nancy Bleiler.
She loved using the trail in the winter on snowshoes and cross country skis. You may walk your dog on the trail through the woods to
the view of Mt. Cardigan, but dogs must be leashed
and cleaned up after. Dogs are not allowed in
the orchard under the trees.
Our Apples
The original apple trees were planted in the 1930's and are still producing a lot of apples. Since the 70's when we bought the land we have planted more trees, and now we have around 1,000 trees. The orchard is open for pick-your-own apples everyday 10:00a.m. to 5:00p.m. from Labor Day to the end of October, as long as we have apples!
We offer over 15 varieties of apples. Below are our most popular varieties in the order they ripen.
|
Yellow Transparent |
Early Mac (Paula Red) |
Gravenstein |
|
| (Late August) | (Late August, early September) | (Early September) | |
|
Heirloom Gravenstein |
Macintosh |
Heirloom Mac |
|
| (Early September) | (Mid September) | (Mid September) | |
|
Cortland |
Heirloom Cortland |
Macoun |
|
| (Mid-Late September) | (Mid-Late September) | (Late September) | |
|
Honey Crisp |
Spartan |
Pound Sweet |
|
| (Late September) | (Late September) | (Early October) | |
|
Empire |
Red/Golden Delicious |
Northern Spy |
|
| (Mid October) | (Mid October) | (Mid October) | |
|
|
Baldwin |
|
|
| (Late October) | |||
Apple Cider
It's not what we put in, but what we keep out that counts.
Besides our delicious apples, we have become know for our apple cider. Pressed the old fashioned way, a deal of time is spent washing and going through each apple before we grind them up for pressing. This process is worth the labor of love to ensure the highest quality cider. We blend many types of apples which combine for a perfect flavor.
It sells out quickly, so get some when you can!
1 603 744 2248 | 1540 Mt Cardigan Rd, Alexandria, NH 03222 | cardiganorchard@gmail.com
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