Some of the more than 4,500 apple trees date back to 1899, Ms. Nills said.
The Northern Spy and Ben Davis varieties are some of the oldest and the Ida Red, Braburn and Jonagold are some of the newest. "Some of these [varieties] are from Thomas Jefferson's day," she said.
When the Orchards want to obtain new varieties of apples, they obtain "root stock" from nurseries that cultivate different types of apples, Ms. Nills said.
Ms. Nills says that developers have been eyeing her family's coastal property, but her family does not plan on selling anytime soon.
"We are negotiating with the state," Ms. Nills said. "[The state] is trying to get us to put it in agriculture restriction."
Ms. Nills said that she has seen major changes in the apple growing industry since the old days. She says that now her brother has to have a license to spray pesticides and a license to make cider.
These changes came about in the early 1970's, Ms. Nills said.