STURGEON BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – If you have driven on Green Bay Road in Sturgeon Bay during the fall, chances are you’ve seen Ivy Nelson.
She has been selling apples across the street from Merchants’ Meat and Sausage for 45 years.
Nelson just turned 98 on September 1.
Nelson owns land in Little Harbor, and she has 12 apple trees she tends to.
Every spring, Nelson prepares her harvest by spraying her apple trees herself.
“It used to take me an hour to spray all my trees, and now it takes me 4 hours,” said Nelson.
Nelson sells a variety of apples, from Cortlyn, Macs, and Honey Crisp.
She also sells ‘deer apples’, which are the ones that have been bruised. Nelson said they are perfect for deer hunting.
Throughout her day, Nelson is visited by people who stop at her roadside shop. Many of them are returning from years prior.
Buyers like Scott Benson say that it’s not just the price, but it’s also the dedication and love behind each apple that keeps him coming back.
“I think it’s just the love that is put into the apples from growing her trees,” Benson said.
Benson has been visiting Nelson for 20 seasons. Every time, he says he is taken back to his childhood.
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“It’s like mom’s apple pie, doesn’t get any better than that,” Benson said.
At the end of her picking season, Nelson donates her extra apples to St. Peter’s Lutheran School.
