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Hazeldean Forest Farm

Hazeldean Forest Farm is a beautiful, productive farm nestled into the gentle rolling hills at the northern base of the Strezleckie Ranges.

In 1986 Marg & Jason Alexandra relocated their business, the Victorian Tree Crop Nursery, to the 92 acre property. They established a demonstration tree farm to encourage others to grow trees for windbreaks, habitat, firewood and timber production.

After 25 years, the property is now humming with bees, birds are abundant and fruit is available all year round. This is a stark contrast to the ‘green desert’ of the original property, which except for a few dozen cypress trees was entirely pasture for dairy cows.

The transformation of the property followed designs to create integrated biodiversity and sustainable ecosystems. This was achieved by planting windbreaks, orchards, forests and building a dam.

Tree planting over two decades have created an arboretum of farm forestry with mature stands of deciduous and Australian hardwoods including Spotted Gum, European and American Oaks, Chestnuts and Walnuts. The extensive networks of windbreaks provide shelter for orchards and paddocks.

A four acre dam with islands is a crucial design feature for irrigation and habitat for birds, fish and frogs. Numerous species of insectivorous bats & birds breed and feed throughout the property, attracted to the successful revegetation & wildlife corridors. They also work as biological controllers in the orchards.

The orchards, planted between 1988 and 1992, have been certified NASAA organic for over 20 years. Now fully matured, there are variety collections of chestnuts, walnuts, persimmons, peaches, nashis and plums. There are also 40 varieties of apples, including heritage and cider varieties.

Apples Varieties Grown at Ellinbank

EARLY VARIETIES

* Tydemans Early: 1929 England, McIntosh x Worcester Pearmain, Crimson over yellow background, very early, best consumed as soon as possible after picking.

* Summer Red: Early season, crimson red over green background, flesh tender, crisp, juicy & excellent flavour.

* Gravenstein:  Early 1600’s, very old heritage variety, from Schleswig-Holstein, Germany – strong acid apple flavour balanced with sweetness – one of the oldest recorded early apples .  Green – yellow red stripes. Difficult to grow commercially as it drops to the ground when sugars start to mature. They are best ripened in a fruit bowl if not sweet enough. Good eater & cooker.

* Abbas: An early variety very strong red in colour  with darker red stripes, solid apple with firm flesh with a crisp sweet, nutty taste.

* Akane: Japanese variety.1970 Jonathan x Worcester Pearmain. A beautiful smallish apple - red with green – yellow background, Akane has a sweet, well balanced flavour, white crisp flesh, taste between a Snow & Jonathan. Akane grows darker red over a pink background when left on the tree, stores well for an early apple – often mistaken for snow apples due to bright red colour and white flesh

* Golden Gala: 1970’s, New Zealand, Kidd’s Orange Red x Golden Delicious. Very sweet, flesh cream coloured, soft skin a firm apple that store well.

* Prima: Flesh is creamy-white slightly acid .Good eater & cooker.

* King of the Pippins: (Golden Winter Pearmain) Heritage variety  known throughout Europe , appeared in England 1800’s . Ripens to golden orange, very good desert apple & outstanding eater when ripened on the tree, but difficult to grow commercially as it ripens unevenly over long period and due do to the fact it drops to the ground as soon as it starts to ripen.

* Fryburg: Cox Orange x Golden Delicious – New Zealand . Yellow - green with some russet. Very good tasting uniquely flavoured with liquorice aftertaste, juicy, aromatic, creamy white flesh with complex, lightly acid & sugary flavours.

Akane

MID SEASON VARIETIES

* Cox Orange Pippin: Very old apple variety, at least, 1829 from Great Britain. It has a strong mid acid flavour, greenish background, with an orange stripe. Very difficult to grow commercially - as soon as it starts to develop its sugars it drops to the ground – hence it is usually picked on the green side & if left in a fruit bowl with other apples it will ripen. It is at its best when the seeds rattle inside the apple.

* Golden Delicious: 1914, Clay County, West Virginia .Crisp white flesh, very sweet & juicy & very tasty. When tree ripened it is superb. Some times develops a pink “sunset blush”. Versatile, multi purpose apple

* Bel de Boskop: Very old variety - 1856 from the Netherlands - popular in Europe as a cooker. Greenish in colour turning yellow - red at maturity, flesh is pale, tinged green, sweet taste with acidic overtones. Sweetness and flavour improves off tree

* Golden Reinet:  pre 1845, parent of Golden delicious - squat golden apple, good keeper, eating & cooking apple & cider apple. Green – yellow with russet.

* Jonagold : 1968, New York , Very popular in Europe. One of the most flavoursome apples, a cross between a Golden Delicious &  Jonathan. Highly coloured, sweet, crisp, white flesh & a good keeper.

* Jonathan :  McIntosh x Newton bred in British Columbia 1936 . Jonathan are a highly coloured red with patches of lime green to yellowish background, excellent cooker & eater – with a balanced acidity and sweetness. Traditionally used in apple pie’s. One of the most popular apples grown in Victoria in the past, but now a lot less common, best eaten in autumn when freshly picked.

* Reiette du Canada : France prior to 1771.  Can be used for eating, cooking or cider, its skin is yellow-green with brownish russeting. The solid flesh is creamy-white & has a sweet/acid tasty flavour.

* Snow: (Fameuse) Late 1600’s , Tender , aromatic distinct flavour. A parent of McIntosh that is suitable for eating , cooking & cider., it tends to yield many small fruit

* Spartan: deep red to crimson coloured apples with a green/yellow background. Spartan are hardy and distinctive apple with stunningly attractive colour and flavour, a very white flesh, they are grown extensively in Canada and North America. They are often mistaken for a snow apple due to their colouring and white flesh. They have a crisp & juicy, acid/sweet flavour and a delicate apple aroma.

* Crispin (Mutsu):  1930, From Japan. A large, green multi-purpose apple that is superior to Grannies by far. Very good eater, crisp & juicy, good for cooking, if boiled goes fluffy, excellent for baking, drying & processing. It superb baked whole, or in slices

* Legana: Very good eating apple. Pinkish strip, bred at Legana, Tasmania Sweet and nutty with dense flesh, crisp & juicy, white to yellow flesh.

* Cleopatra: Mid – season apple with whitish flesh that is crisp & crunchy. Clear green skin turning to golden yellow.

* Holly : Jonathan x Delicious, Ohio , 1970 .Holly berry in colour, creamy white flesh . Mild in flavour, juicy and quite sweet.

Persimmons

LATE SEASON VARIETIES

* Red Delicious: 1870’s, Iowa. Dark red & bumps on bottom. The flesh is yellowish, firm and nutty - very sweet if left on the tree. Flavour and sugar content improves with storage

* Stayman Winesap:  Very popular Swiss dessert apple, excellent for flans – keeps it shape. Dullish red striped skin with a slight russet. Good all rounder. Known for tangy cider. Flesh yellow, firm, juicy with sub acid.

* Stewarts Seedling (Ballarat): An Australian variety that is green with mauve to purple blush . Renown as an excellent cooker can be eaten fresh, has a mild acidic taste, combine with high sugar levels. A late keeper

* Fuji: From Japan- 1930’s bred from Red Delicious x Ralls Genet, Fuji is an important apple variety throughout the world. It has a crisp dense, white, juicy flesh which has a distinct, sweet flavour. The apples develop a beautiful, strong and deep rusty red colour against a green/yellow background.

* Five Crown: Recognised by its five points on the crown base, it is flattish in shape. A late maturer it is predominately a cooker but left on tree to it will go from green to yellow and can be eaten fresh. 

* Sturmer Pippin:  Ribstein Pippin x Non Pariel, c.1800 , Suffolk, England .Yellow flesh. Flavour matures in storage. One of the best cooking apples - very tart, good desert or cider apple, can be eaten fresh & good keeper.

* Rome Beauty : Bred in early 1800’s, Ohio, the Rome deserves it name because it is one of the most beautiful old variety, with a deep striking red over a base green – sometimes with a lipstick red blush or red stripes. A late variety, it has a white flesh, sweet with subtle acid overtones , crisp & juicy, one of the best eating apples , good cooker & dessert apple; good for long storage. Gets sweeter if left on the tree later in the autumn.

* Alexander : (Great Alexandra) c. 1700’s – Ukraine – A distinctive red, conical apple, harvested late, it was introduced into England in 1805, excellent eater and cooker

Photos by Murray Watson