Apple Growing Paradox: Balancing Tradition & Innovation for Over 15 Years!

In this week’s episode, we’re diving into the world of apples with someone who lives and breathes them every single day. Our guest is Austin Fowler of Fowler Farms in upstate New York — a farm that’s been in continuous operation since 1858. That’s six generations of the Fowler family devoted to one crop, one passion, and one mission: growing apples of the highest quality.

Think about that for a moment — six generations! The Civil War was still on the horizon when the Fowler family planted their first trees. Since then, they’ve weathered depressions, recessions, blights, storms, and the constant shifting demands of consumers — and through it all, they’ve not only survived, but thrived.

Fowler Farms is known not only for honoring tradition but also for pushing innovation in apple growing. They’ve helped introduce new varieties that consumers now love, adopted cutting-edge growing practices, and built a legacy that has shaped the apple industry in New York and far beyond.

In this episode, Austin will take us into the orchard to talk about what it’s really like to grow apples in the modern era — the science, the challenges, the weather, and of course, the joy of bringing in a harvest that might end up on your kitchen table. We’ll also talk about how tastes in apples are changing, why some varieties explode in popularity while others quietly fade away, and what it means to carry a family legacy into the next generation.

So whether you’re a fan of Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji, Empire, or one of the many newer apples like Snapdragon that are making waves in the produce aisle, you’ll want to stay tuned. By the end of this episode, you’ll have a new appreciation for the people, the history, and the hard work behind every single apple you bite into.