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

Our family was named by Edible Magazine, 2026 Local Hero. We were nominated in 2025 and won this award, and it was prese...
06/16/2026

Our family was named by Edible Magazine, 2026 Local Hero. We were nominated in 2025 and won this award, and it was presented to us in 2026. In this photograph, you have 3 generations of Velarde farmers. 15th, 16th. and 17th. generations. We strive to bring you the best fruit and vegetables that we grow. Sometimes it is a challenge to keep customers happy, but we strive to do our best. With any fresh fruit or vegetables, we are at the mercy of Mother Earth. She decides how our fruit tastes and its appearance. We are honored by this award and accept this award for all our generations before us. We take pride in our produce, and we hope you enjoy the freshest fruit in the valley. We grow everything we sell. As our unpredictable weather changes every day, we have met this challenge head-on and have changed our harvest to meet these new demands. We will be sold out of apricots this weekend and Rainier cherries. We are picking red cherries every day and still have many trees to harvest. We harvest daily, and we supply many outlets across the state. From fruit stands, wineries, the New Mexico Department of Health, Pueblos, New Mexico Grown, and both public and private schools. Daycare centers and senior centers. We deliver fresh New Mexico-grown fruit to so many New Mexicans; most call to ask when their new order will be delivered. We deliver to all 4 corners of the state. We hope you enjoy our fresh fruit as much as we enjoy growing for you.

So many of you have asked us about our farming operation. We are going to explain the process and provide information ab...
06/15/2026

So many of you have asked us about our farming operation. We are going to explain the process and provide information about all our operations.
BEES
We own all our beehives. We have a dedicated beekeeper that maintains and harvests all our honey. We have 100+ hives and must increase our hives because of our increased planting. We bring in our bees that have overwintered high in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. They arrive 7 days before full bloom. They are hungry and ready for the work they must perform in a very short time frame. If the day is sunny, with no wind and no rain, they will pollinate thousands of blossoms a day. Once we determine that they have cross-pollinated and the blossoms begin to fall, we remove all hives before spraying operations begin. We sell all our own honey, from whipped, raw, and fruit-flavored creamed honey. We need bees more than most people think. Without these hard, dedicated workers, no fruit or vegetables would be produced. We need bees more now. In California, the industrialization of fruit and nut production is no friend to bees. California, in late January, imports over 2 million hives. These hives come from many places: China, Australia, India, Canada, and the USA. These growers demand that bees be brought in 1 month before bloom. The beekeepers must supplement food for the bees during this time. Once the Almonds bloom, the bees begin to work. At the same time the growers spray a fungicide and pesticide while the bees are actively working. This results in a 60% colony collapse. The beekeepers will get $ 350.00 per hive as pollination costs. This is wrong, and the demand that we place on bees is unsustainable. We protect our bees. Without bees, there will be no food. As we tell everyone: BEEfriendly, BEESafe, BEECareful, BEEWise, and BEErespectful. There is so much more about our bee operation.

We are about 10 days away from harvesting our first crop of pulots. These are called black diamonds. They are an exclusi...
06/10/2026

We are about 10 days away from harvesting our first crop of pulots. These are called black diamonds. They are an exclusive plum that we crossed with a Santa Rosa and an Elberta peach. We are the only orchard anywhere that has these plums. They will turn a dark purple when ready for harvest. We do not have many of these, since they are an ongoing experiment and cross-grafting. When we start harvesting, we will keep you updated. These are usually picked about the 20th. of July.

40 years ago, our father, Edward Velarde, decided to see the Monarch habitat in Mexico. He was amazed by how the butterf...
06/08/2026

40 years ago, our father, Edward Velarde, decided to see the Monarch habitat in Mexico. He was amazed by how the butterflies migrated from North America to Mexico to hibernate and rest. The weight at that time of the millions of butterflies would sometimes break the trees they were resting on. He saw the deforestation of their habitat and was concerned about their future. When he came home, he was determined that somehow, no matter how small, we as a family needed to help these butterflies before they were lost forever. 20 years ago, we decided to become a certified Monarch weigh station. We have designated an area larger than a football field on each of our 6 farms. We have a designated area where we plant milkweed and other pollinators. We have dedicated our family to helping these wonderful butterflies, and no matter how small the impact, we have done our part to help. You can help by planting for pollinators in your backyard; only a few plants will help make the difference.

We had a very dear friend in Kansas who almost lost his life, and his family witnessed the crash. He was driving his com...
06/07/2026

We had a very dear friend in Kansas who almost lost his life, and his family witnessed the crash. He was driving his combine to be serviced without the combine head attached. All tractors have a feature that does not allow any tractor to accelerate proceeding downhill. This feature ensures that the engine will hold back the tractor and proceed slowly. That feature failed on him, and the combine raced down the hill. Most farmers do not use seatbelts, and this time this is what saved his life. As the combine gained speed, he tried to drive into some small trees, but the time passed too fast. He then decided to hit a bank of dirt to slow the machine down. He rolled his combine 3 times while his family watched in horror. What saved his life, he fell to the floor while the cab crushed down on him. It took rescue 4 hours to remove him and an hour carefight to the hospital. He had a lot of cuts and some broken ribs, but thankfully he is alive to continue farming. We live a life that is the second most dangerous profession in the world. soldiers in combat are ranked 45 in most dangerous professions. While only 2 percent of the population farms, 100 percent of the population eats. We are literally a dying breed.

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.

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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