The Fruit Basket

The Fruit Basket The Velarde Family Fruit Basket offers a variety of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables, including chile ristras, and much more. See you soon!

We are Temporarily Close for the season. Family Orchards Owned and Operated since 1598

We have had many inquiries about buying wholesale. We sell all our fruit wholesale. We have individuals that purchase to...
06/05/2026

We have had many inquiries about buying wholesale. We sell all our fruit wholesale. We have individuals that purchase to sell on the roadside, to their neighbors, fram stands, grocery stores, and many more. We sell number 1 and number 2. All are boxed in 20-pound boxes or bulk bins. We have to have payment upon delivery; we have many orders that have not been paid by Pueblos, individuals and retail outlets. A few individuals not paying, made us change our credit policy to cash and carry. We are either out in the field or at the fruit stand. Best way to reach us is by email. The wholesale email is [email protected]. We offer free delivery, but there is a minimum for this service. We also offer fundraising for individuals and organizations. Many organizations have raised thousands of dollars by fundraising with fruit. We have many organizations that fundraise in Nebraska, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Wyoming, just to name a few. We also have many sales reps that live out of state that wholesale our fruit to many mom and pop stores and fruit stands. We can provide information about any program you need.

We are harvesting our Rainier cherries. We have them at the fruit stand. We will have a limited amount this year. We are...
06/05/2026

We are harvesting our Rainier cherries. We have them at the fruit stand. We will have a limited amount this year. We are in the middle of the cherry crop. We will have many trees to pick, and some are just turning red. Our young trees have produced more than we expected. Cherries are getting larger, darker, and very juicy. The trees in the photographs are 3 years old.

We were very busy this weekend, but many of you asked why we had waited and allowed the orchard grass to grow very tall ...
06/02/2026

We were very busy this weekend, but many of you asked why we had waited and allowed the orchard grass to grow very tall before we mowed. For generations, our family has allowed the native grass to grow tall every 4 years. We allow the grass to produce seeds to replace and reseed our orchard floor. Careful monitoring allows us to produce about 50 % seeds. Once the seeds start to fall we mow the native orchard grass to 6 inches tall. This provides a cover for the seeds. We then flood the orchard and allow the seeds to germinate. This takes about 10 days to germinate. We then check to see if the seeds have germinated and mow the grass to about 2 inches. This allows sunlight to help regrow our native grass. The cut grass provides nutrients to the seeds and the trees. We do not use any synthetic fertilizers or animal waste in our fields. This allows us to produce fruit naturally. We feel this process that has been handed down for generations creates the most wonderful fruit in the world.

We are busy every day picking cherries. The Rainier cherries are still a little green, and we hope that in about a week,...
05/30/2026

We are busy every day picking cherries. The Rainier cherries are still a little green, and we hope that in about a week, we will have them ready. They have more sugar content and less acidity. The red cherries are getting larger and are very juicy. This week we are picking Bing cherries. Yesterday at closing, we sold out of cherries. We appreciate you all supporting us and locally grown.

We are now officially open. Our hours are from 8 AM to 5:30 PM 7 days a week. We are located in Velarde, New Mexico, at ...
05/29/2026

We are now officially open. Our hours are from 8 AM to 5:30 PM 7 days a week. We are located in Velarde, New Mexico, at 1413 New Mexico State Highway 68. We are picking a variety of fresh fruit, and as the season extends, the fruit will be larger and more diverse. We are including when we first opened our fruit stand in 1950. We had one more before that in the early 1940. Before our fruit stand, our father and his siblings would sell fruit on the side of the road with no fruit stand. The Velarde family had the first fruit stand in Velarde, and many more followed. The Salazar family, Valdez Family, Garcia Family, Montoya Family, Martinez Family, Hunt Family, just to name a few. Times have changed, and many farming families have moved. We are the last fruit stand in Velarde. We are grateful that we have so many happy customers and many return year after year. Bringing their families and friends with them.

We have begun our first harvest of cherries. We will only have the red ones this week. The Rainiers are still a little g...
05/27/2026

We have begun our first harvest of cherries. We will only have the red ones this week. The Rainiers are still a little green. We will only pick our fruit when it is ready. We had some rain last night and early this morning. Hopefully, Wednesday will bring us sunny weather. Cherries do not like rain; it causes them to split, and then they must be repurposed into canning or juice. These are a few photos of the cherries that we will have for sale starting Thursday. The trees we planted several years ago are producing and have a heavy crop load. Newer varieties and lower chill hour requirements have helped us this year, producing an earlier crop. This was a risk that paid off this year, but our weather dictates our crop.

We started harvesting yesterday morning. We are harvesting red & black plums, small white & yellow peaches, yellow necta...
05/26/2026

We started harvesting yesterday morning. We are harvesting red & black plums, small white & yellow peaches, yellow nectarines, and apricots. The heritage apricots that the Spanish brought from Spain will not be ready for a few weeks. This fruit is our first pick of the season. Usually, everything is a little chaotic, and something always breaks. We will have our farm safety and food safety training yesterday morning, and if it rains, we will stop and be thankful for any rain. Here are a few photos of the fruit on the trees. We will start picking cherries on Wednesday and will send you pictures of the harvested cherries. We will open on Thursday of this week. It can be a little crazy opening morning, but by 10:00 am everything should settle down. On Friday, we will have our fruit pies and handheld pies. Usually by noon.

Our family and our farm team members want to thank all Veterans today for their commitment and sacrifice they gave for o...
05/24/2026

Our family and our farm team members want to thank all Veterans today for their commitment and sacrifice they gave for our freedom. We had so many members of our family that have fought for our freedom. This day is very special to us. From the revolutionary war and many more since then, we are a proud family of warriors. Enjoy a day off with family and friends, and do not forget your loved ones that have passed. Visit them and remind yourself what they meant to you. Share a family event with your family, so they can carry on your family's legacy.

We will start picking cherries on Tuesday. Don't let the whacky weather or the bad news fool you. We have a great cherry...
05/23/2026

We will start picking cherries on Tuesday. Don't let the whacky weather or the bad news fool you. We have a great cherry crop this year. We have never picked cherries, plums, peaches, apricots, and nectarines in May. We are grateful that we have fruit when so many are at a total loss. We will have a bumper crop of apples, pears, peaches, plumcots, apriums, and pears later in the season. Everything has been pushed up 25 days. We hope to have cherries until the 4th of July, but everyone has been calling, and many of our wholesale accounts are requesting that we fill the gap between California and other locations in the United States. Our priority is our loyal customers; you come first. You all have always supported locally grown, and we are appreciative more than you can imagine. As the season moves forward, we will keep you posted to the variety we are picking. This week is Rainer and burgundy pearl. In 5 days, we will have the black pearl. Yellow & white peaches, yellow nectarines, apricots, and black & red plums. They are a little small this early in the season, but packed with flavor and juicy. Hope to see you Thursday.

Our family farms are water users with 5 of the 9 Acequias in Velarde. I am the Chairman of Acequia de Los Chicos and the...
05/22/2026

Our family farms are water users with 5 of the 9 Acequias in Velarde. I am the Chairman of Acequia de Los Chicos and the Vice-Chairman of the Acequia de Los Garcias. We currently have enough water to irrigate all our orchards and vegetable fields. The current water situation is concerning. We have assessed the current water flow and it is currently flowing as it was in September 2025 . We have enclosed pictures of the first dam in Velarde , which is for Acequia de Los Chicos, you can see the water level is very low and the sand bars have built up significantly. We hope for a good monsoon and weekly rain. We will keep you posted on our water concerns.

Address

1413 Highway 68
Velarde, NM
87582

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 6pm
Tuesday 8am - 6pm
Wednesday 8am - 6pm
Thursday 8am - 6pm
Friday 8am - 6pm
Saturday 8am - 6pm
Sunday 8am - 6pm

Telephone

(505) 852-2310

Website

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