The COA Apple Class returned to the farm today, and we sat under the arbor in T-shirts and looked at apple characteristics. If you’re going to become an apple identifier, you’ve got to learn the parts of the apple. And you’ve got to re-learn words that you thought you knew the meaning of. The cavity is not in your teeth. The basin is not in the sink. The base is not in the ballpark. The core is not in the army. The stem is not in the cell. The flesh is not on the bone. The skin is not in the game. The carpel is not in the syndrome. The blush is not on the cheek. So much to learn.

Before heading back to Bar Harbor the class did a mad dash through the orchard wrapping trees with tree guards, those spiral plastic protective sleeves we put on the young trees in the fall to deter voles and mice from chewing the bark. You can get a lot done when you’ve got a big crew.