Oral History Feature | Bill Moretz

Bill Moretz is the owner and operator of Moretz Mountain Orchard, a third generation apple orchard located in Boone, NC. You can purchase Moretz Mountain Orchard Apples at the Watauga Farmers Market or the High Country Food Hub! highcountryfoodhub.com

We sat down with Bill in his orchard to learn more about what goes into to bringing apples to the people.

"I love seeing people discover new types of apples, especially when the kid that’s only had a super market apple gets a bite, it makes a huge difference. Most people just think you plant the tree and then in a few years you grow apples.

There is a one in ten thousand chance of an apple from seedling being worth anything. And that’s one reason why new apple varieties are slow to be produced. Actually it’s more of a scientific thing, they cover up the blooms and go get the ones they want to cross-pollinate with. That’s a lot more involved and then of course you have a wait a few years for it to produce anything - it’s yearly maintenance on the tree for the pruning.

A lot of people go by moon signs for harvesting and planting. The only sign I look for is if I’ve got the time to do it (laughs), but they do say if you pick fruit in the old of the moon and it’s bruised, the bruises won’t turn into rot. Most people don’t really worry about it, because you try to pick apples where they don’t bruise in the first place because bruised are automatically seconds and are only fit for processing."

Read Bill's full interview here: https://www.blowingrockmuseum.org/farmforagefeast

Photo by Ashley Warren @naturalcraftphotography