Apple Dave’s father and mother, Donald and Dorothy Hull, purchased 130 acres of land in the Warwick Valley in 1949. Beginning in 1950 David began planting apple trees on the property. The first trees planted can still be found today right behind Apple Dave’s Farmhouse. The trees began to produce fruit in 1955 and David dedicated himself to the Orchard when he returned from a Army-sponsored tour of Korea.
The Orchard continued to grow through the years and somewhere along the way David became affectionately known as “Apple Dave”. Apple Dave and his family lived and worked on the farm selling the apples to wholesalers through out the year. However, in 1974, tragedy struck. Apple Dave’s storage facility burnt to the ground with that year’s apple Harvest.
That summer with a fresh crop coming along Apple Dave thought of ways to avoid another catastrophe. The winning idea was to allow people from the area up to the farm to Pick their Own Apples. Just like that Apple Dave’s entered a new era. In the fall of 1975 Apple Dave and Cousin Mike began Apple Dave’s’s U-Pick business. Cousin Mike would sell cups of cider to the patrons and Apple Dave would give wagon rides up into the orchard. The new business went well and has continued to grow.
In 1993 Apple Dave was joined on the farm and in matrimony by Apple Susie. Together they happily continued the family tradition of growing apples in Warwick NY for over 60 years.
Apple Dave passed away during the winter of 2014. Apple Susie and Dave’s son, Peter are continuing the traditions set down by Apple Dave, keeping Apple Dave’s as a fun, family-oriented day in the country. So after you watch the puppet shows, have some donuts, or enjoy a walk through the Orchards, please stop and say “Hi” to Peter and Apple Susie.
