The BeeLine & The Forum

The Western Cascade Fruit Society (parent organization of Vashon Island Fruit Club) publishes an online quarterly called The BeeLine with articles related to fruit growing in the PNW.

Fruit Preservation by Lotus & Jerry Gehrke

Drying, Canning & Freezing was discussed in a lively open format with Lotus & Jerry Gehrke leading the discussion at the Sept 8, 2015 monthly meeting at the Land Trust Bldg.  Many of the members’ preservation recipes & harvest spoils were featured on the refreshment table:  Pear Compote, Stewed Apples, Plum Jam/Cream Cheese on Crackers, Dried Cherries, Dried Plums, Dried Bartlett Pears, Grapes on the Vine amongst them.

Summertime Pruning Workshop

On August 15, Vor Hostetler, VIFC Program Chair, organized a two orchard Summer Pruning Workshop at 204th & Vashon Hwy, the green former school district admin building, and at Dr. Bob & Carol Norton’s home on Maury Island.  We watched, learned and then practiced hands on summer pruning techniques.  Specifically, we learned that summer is the time to remove anything diseased

Spring Orchard Tours

VIFC toured three club members’ orchards this past spring.  Attendance was high at both Saturday events.  On May 16, Ron & Martha Keenan’s orchard was toured by the club.  Then on June 20, both Reimnitz & Russo orchards were toured.  A big THANK YOU to Ron & Martha Keenan, Hartmut & Ilse Reimnitz & Ethan Russo for hosting VIFC at your amazing orchards!  Enjoy the photos!

Maggots & Stink Bugs & Moths! Oh My!

Panelists: Jerry Gehrke, Dick Tilbury, Marilyn Tilbury & Elizabeth Vogt

On Tuesday, April 14th, we had an information-packed meeting on pest control in the orchard with our experts, Marilyn and Dick Tilbury, Elizabeth Vogt and Jerry Gehrke. A big thanks to all of our pest experts! I’ve attached the Tilbury’s two handouts.

Thank you, Dr Bob, for a great Bench Grafting Workshop!

Dr Bob’s Grafting Workshop on March 15 at the Sunrise Ridge conference room was a great success!

Dr Bob Norton

We learned three of the four types of grafting:

A World without Fruit

The morning after Elizabeth Vogt’s, PhD in Entymology, inspiring talk on “Pollinator Habitat Improvement – Bee Trees”, I shared the evening’s highlights with a co-worker over coffee in our office break room, how development & hybridization are the enemies of pollinators,