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Gabl Kurt

Organic farmer - Valtinhuebhof

"Father and son."

My story

At the Valtinhuebhof in Ciardes, we are now in our fourth generation of farming. My grandfather even had a bakery on the farm, my father started growing apples at the end of the 1950s. As a representative of the third generation, I attended the agricultural school Laimburg. Now it is my son Lukas who steps into my shoes. But unlike in the famous song of Cat Stevens "Father and Son" we wanted a change. Together we decided to change to organic farming and enriched our organic range with two typical organic varieties Topaz and Natyra. The sour Topaz has a pleasantly refreshing effect, especially in the summer, thanks to its acidity, and its aroma reminds me very much of a good Champagne in my opinion. Only a few percent of this variety mixed with the sweet juice of a Golden Delicious gives the best of all possible apple juices. For me our typical Val Venosta luxury drink, which is no less sparkling than the grape elixir from France. We cultivate just what we both like best.

The varieties Topaz, Natyra and Bonita, are very resistant to scab, which reduces the use of natural pesticides to a minimum. We are equally careful and economical with our traditional Golden Delicious, Red Delicious and Gala. Father and son fertilize each other with new ideas and views. This critical dialogue between me and my son is very important, because there are no fixed magic formulas in organic. On the contrary: if you ask three organic farmers a question, you will get three different answers, which may all be correct.

Since our immediate neighbor has been farming organically for twenty years, organic farming was the logical way of cultivation for us, which we wanted to learn, use and mature. As a team. What we both particularly enjoy - also with organic - is the teamwork in the grafting of the apple trees by so-called "Abbelzen". During the rest of the year, "apple plucking" is also a very responsible job. We advise our helpers that in case of doubt they should rather hang more apples than too few. Lukas and I then go through the rows of apples again anyway and check if everything fits. After all, we are a team of "Father and Son" and organically well-coordinated.
 

Where I live

My harvest
 
Bonita
The bittersweet lady
Beauty meets acidity: This bright and smooth crossover between Topaz & Cripps Pink makes the pests stay away, therefore, it is especially popular in organic farming.
Availability
January - May
Appearance: 
opaque radiant red colour on creamy background, homogeneous shape, very smooth shell
Features: 
juicy and crunchy bite
Taste: 
aromatic with pronounced acidity
Royal Gala
The elegant precocity
The tasty gala appears every summer in its reddish yellow shell and the new apple season begins.
Availability
September - March
 
Appearance: 
smooth shell, spherical shape, slightly conical, pale yellow base colour with bright red and striped cover
Features: 
crispy and juicy with firm pulp
Taste: 
refreshing, sweet with little acidity
Red Delicious
Red seduction
The image of the Red Delicious is difficult to resist. Seeing red can be really nice. And the red flavour is even more beautiful!
Availability
September - July
 
Appearance: 
dark red colour, conical shape, oblong
Features: 
juicy with very white pulp
Taste: 
sweet, very aromatic with relatively slight acidity
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.
Availability
October - September
 
Appearance: 
greenish yellow to golden yellow
Features: 
juicy with very fine and soft pulp
Taste: 
sweet with delicate acidity
SQ 159 / Natyra®
Natural talent loaded with aroma
The rustic apple with delicate pear and citrus spices keeps the pests away and impresses by its excellent flavour.
Availability
January - April
Appearance: 
red to dark red, rustic appearance
Features: 
good texture and juiciness, crunchy and compact
Taste: 
sweet and sour with pear and citrus aroma
 
 

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