Patscheider Ruth

Organic farmer
Farm management: Tappeiner Flori

My harvest:
 
Apples
Golden Delicious
Minneiska / SweeTango™
“As an organic farmer, you learn that nature is in charge”
Patscheider Ruth

My story

Flori, you manage your wife Ruth Patscheider’s apple orchards around Schleis and Mals in Upper Vinschgau. Why did you switch to organic?
It was a natural choice for me. I’ve always been a minimalist when it comes to using crop protection products, and I’ve focused on healthy soil. That’s why I felt ready to take the final step and go fully organic. It also allows me to place my beehives in the orchards during blossom time. I produce organic honey, and the bees’ location is crucial.

What have you learned from organic farming?

To open my eyes a bit more and consider the big picture. As a farmer, you need to understand that nature calls the shots. Otherwise, you’ll run into trouble – and every farmer knows that. One year, the wind knocked over all the fully laden apple trees right before harvest. Another time, frost destroyed the blossoms. When you farm in nature, you're dependent on the elements: frost, rain, hail, wind, or beetle outbreaks – we humans can’t control those things.

Is organic farming more work?

It’s definitely more demanding, but my joy in the work has grown since going organic. Especially when it rains, I have to check the trees more often, because the time to act is shorter. I now use an app from the South Tyrolean advisory service that alerts me to frost, pests, and diseases, and offers guidance. We’ve also switched to several red apple varieties, which are easier to manage organically.
 
 

My farm

Here, I cultivate my fields every day with great passion and care. This is how high-quality products are created, of which I am very proud.
Place: Laas
My harvest
 
Golden Delicious
The classic delicious
Golden Delicious is our main variety and, therefore, the queen of Val Venosta apples. That the most popular apple has a real quality, can be seen in its lovely red cheek. By the way, this is typical of fruits on a hillside.
Golden Delicious
The classic delicious
Golden Delicious is our main variety and, therefore, the queen of Val Venosta apples. That the most popular apple has a real quality, can be seen in its lovely red cheek. By the way, this is typical of fruits on a hillside.
Appearance: 
greenish yellow to golden yellow
Features: 
juicy with very fine and soft pulp
Taste: 
sweet with delicate acidity
Minneiska / SweeTango™
Summer in an apple
Juicy and sweet, with tropical notes and fruity notes of pineapple, banana, and fennel seeds.
Minneiska / SweeTango™
Summer in an apple
Juicy and sweet, with tropical notes and fruity notes of pineapple, banana, and fennel seeds.
Appearance: 
Base color yellow, covering color ruby red with lenticels.
Features: 
Pleasant texture, juicy and crunchy.
Taste: 
Notes of pineapple, banana and fennel seeds dominate the aromatic profile. Balanced in sweetness and acidity.
 
 

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