Apples, Apples Everywhere!





As I mentioned, one of our biggest surprises was that everywhere we looked, there were groves of apple trees. Upon doing a little research, it appears that the long, bright summer days, relatively low temperatures, and a mostly unpolluted climate make Norway ideal for growing fruits and berries. 

Norwegians have been growing apples since the Vikings, but it was when the monks came to Norway around the 13th century that the tradition really took root.





Right next to the Tjugum Farm is the Lunde Arboretum. While the Arboretum was founded in 1973, it's beginnings go back to 1849 when the first rector of the newly formed parish of Balestrand (located where the Tjugum Church is), Harald Sverdrup, started a vicarage garden. He, along with his son, introduced a number of foreign trees and created a fruit tree collection. These fruit tree plantings became a model for the whole district with over a 100 different kinds of apples, pears, plums and cherries. 









So today, when we knew it was going to rain all day, we decided to visit Ciderhurst in Balestrand where apples are grown and processed into fruit drinks, wine, and ciders. We had a chance to learn more about apple growing in Norway as well as the process of making the wines and ciders. And we had a delicious lunch on a very rainy day in the beautiful Ciderhurst center.







Today, the Ciderhurst offers cider tastings, art showings, and an opportunity for a guided tour around the Apple orchards (with the pouring rain today, we decided against the orchard tour 😀)



This was a perfect way to spend a rainy afternoon!

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