Volunteer Orchards
Volunteer Orchards

Volunteer

adjective: growing spontaneously without direct human control or supervision especially from seeds lost from a previous crop. 

Now booking pruning jobs for the 2025 season.

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About Us

Volunteer apple trees are a common sight in the Helderberg Hilltowns. They are the remnants of the area's history in apple production and cider-making. 


Our goal at Volunteer Orchards is to keep this extensive orchard landscape alive. We offer tree pruning and restoration services for hire, and we make delicious apple products. Learn more below. 

What We Do

Apple Tree Restoration & Pruning

Tree restoration involves removing overgrowth and brush to increase the tree's sunlight exposure. Pruning also improves tree health and fruiting ability. We work on all tree sizes. 

Orchard Assessments

Schedule an appointment to walk your orchard with us. We'll answer your questions and give you suggestions on where to focus your efforts.  

Hard Cider

We are in the process of starting a small farm cidery in Rensselaerville, NY, making hard cider using all local apples. 

Custom Pressing

Have apples you want pressed into juice for your own use? We offer custom pressing sessions with our mobile press in the fall.  

Lessons & Demonstrations

We offer pressing demonstrations at community events and private parties, tree pruning and cider-making lessons, cider tastings and pairings. 

    Land Acknowledgement

     It is with gratitude and humility that we acknowledge that we are learning, speaking, gathering and working on the ancestral homelands of the Mohican people, who are the indigenous peoples of this land. Despite tremendous hardship in being forced from here, today their community resides in Wisconsin and is known as the Stockbridge-Munsee Community. We pay honor and respect to their ancestors past and present as we commit to building a more inclusive and equitable space for all.

    Contact Us

    Have a job or event you want to discuss?

    Send us an e-mail or give us a call:

    Volunteer Orchards

    Rensselaerville, New York 12147, United States

    (518) 431-9191 | volunteerorchards@gmail.com

    Copyright © 2020 Volunteer Orchards - All Rights Reserved.

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