Terhune Orchards accepting submissions for new ‘In celebration of old trees’ art exhibition

Terhune Orchards has been home to 100 different varieties of apples over the years. Owners Gary and Pam Mount have enjoyed experimenting with various methods for growing apples since they bought the farm on Cold Soil Road in Lawrenceville in 1975.
Gary Mount learned to graft apple trees onto crab apple roots because dwarf root systems keep the tree small at eight feet tall, and many more trees can grow per acre that way. With this shift, the number of apple trees per acre at Terhune Orchards has increased from 380 trees per acre to 670, then to 950, and now 1,675 per acre – meaning a lot more apples.
Large trees with huge roots were removed and replaced with the dwarf root system, with the exception of about 50 trees in the front of the farm that can be seen by drivers as they pass by or come up the driveway.
This year, the Mount family decided to celebrate the old trees with an art exhibition, “In Celebration of Old Trees.”
During the month of September, artists are welcome to paint or draw or represent in any artistic way the century apple trees at Terhune Orchards. Artwork must be submitted at the farm at 330 Cold Soil Road by Sept. 30. Local artist Michael Madison and Ellarslie Museum board member David Bosted will select the artworks for the exhibition.
There is no charge for submissions. Work must be “ready to hang” for two shows. A show at the wine barn at Terhune Orchards will kick off on Friday, Oct. 7, and the opening night for a second show at Ellarslie is Sunday, Oct. 9. Both shows will run through December.
Artists can offer their artwork for sale. A portion of the purchase price will support the arts in Mercer County.
Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.