Historic Hood River
Ortleys
9-11-2014
Notes
While modern supermarkets may only carry a few varieties of apples, there were many grown in the Hood River valley. The Liberty Home Orchard proudly showed off their packing prowess with this box of Ortleys.
charlott
Too bad the box is set upside down. Would look better the other way around. I am surprised these aren’t wrapped. I am thinking this is probably a 100 pack, meaning 100 pieces of fruit to the box. If that is so it would mean there would be 5 layers to the box. Later the 100 count was packed a 2×3 pack. Now apples are not wrapped, but put in trays.
This might just be a display type box, as it looks like there is only 1 layer of fruit.
So many old wonderful apples and pears that aren’t really raised in the valley anymore. The one place in Parkdale does offer some of the old varieties which aren’t common on the market.
longshot
It actually looks like the lower layer of fruit is wrapped. The wrappings were probably removed from the upper layer to show off the product.
arlen sheldrake
reminds me of a picture I sent Fred the other day of one of his Duckwall pear boxes in the polar bear exhibit at the Oregon Zoo….thought this was some brilliant marketing….
l.e.
Probably everyone already knows this.
South of Rowena, in 1908, a group of Hood River businessmen established the town of Ortley.
It was named for the Ortley apple.
Conditions were not good for raising apples and the community died out.
Charlott
Yes, I have been to the location of Ortley a number of times.
l.e.
Does anyone locally still raise Ortleys?
Charlott
If anyone does it would be Kioyakawa in Parkdale. He has so many of the old varieties that you don’t see on the markets.