Herzapfelhof Lühs – organic fruit farm in Jork in the “Altes Land” (old country)

The "Altes Land" is the largest fruit-growing area in northern Europe. More than 18 million fruit trees are cultivated there. Because of the unsteady earnings from fruit harvest the farmers had to find a second mainstay most of them in tourism. Nearly each fruit farmer sells parts of his harvest in their own farm shop. If you want to stand out of the mass you have to develop a unique product. That's what Hein Lühs did by putting a heart-shaped stencil on an apple during the ripening process. The "Heart-Apple" became a brand. Furthermore, the production changed from integrated cultivation to organic farming. Today master fruit growers Hein and Rolf Lühs explain during a guided tour of the fruit farm or an apple express ride through the courtyard how to work on the "Herzapfelhof". The experience includes a walk through the heart-apple garden, a tour of the modern apple sorting machine and storage rooms. The whole fruit-farm became an experience-farm for visitors who can taste fresh fruits from the tree by purchasing a so-called "Naschkarte", having a picknick under the fruit-trees, getting a one-year-sponsorship for a tree and harvesting their own tree. Even firms can hold their meetings on the Herzapfelhof. You can also buy the fruits online. The main actors are the Lühs family and their employees. The tourist-information in the district is involved too, as they inform about the different tours and book them for their guests. They get a commission fee for the booking.