Above Ground Tour

Wealthy, Tompkins King, Dutch Mignone, Roxbury Russett apples harvested from Pipers Orchard in Carkeek Park   2020 will undoubtedly be the year that shatters fruit harvest records in Broadview if such records are actually kept.  City Fruit recently harvested apples at Pipers Orchard in Carkeek Park for the #GreatSeattleFruitHarvest and a local backyard tree produced over 576lbs of apples.  Fall in Broadview has meant apple harvests since the 1890s when the Piper family homesteaded here. The Pipers originating from Germany planted European Apples Bietgheimer, Gravenstein, Tompkins King, Dutch Mignone also American varieties Esopus  Spitzenburg and Wealthy. European apples have complex flavor profiles such as Beitgheimer which is slightly sour. Esopus Spitzenburg originated in New York and was Thomas Jefferson’s favorite apple. The commonality between these original apples at Pipers could be their use in baking as they had both a bakery and confectionery in downtown ...

  We spent a summer afternoon pruning trees in Pipers Orchard when Bruce a fellow volunteer asked have you seen the waterwheel? Having lived in the neighborhood for many years I had not even heard of the legendary waterwheel. We finished our chores and quickly made plans for a trek. A small trail leads into the woods from the orchard where we store tools and then we set out above North creek enjoying the shade of the forest. Soon the trail ended, and we were presented with dense brush and steep climbs one hiker even turned back. Scaling a steep bank using sword fern fronds as hand holds, I noticed a series of holes which Bruce pointed out as entrances to Mountain Beaver caves .                                                      Blazing trail above North Creek August 2018 photo Hannah Murray A bit further along we reached a plateau where the cree...