Today in the orchard
This morning I gave a talk at the Windsor apple festival, a few miles from here, to a small but enthusiastic group of apple lovers. I went from there to visit an ancient Tolman Sweet tree that is growing nearby. It is still in excellent shape with long, robust, horizontal lower branches. Although it hasn’t been pruned in many years, it is un-shaded, growing out in the open and is mostly still intact. Meanwhile, Cammy picked the Tolman Sweet at home, along with the Fuel Service and some of the Grimes Golden. We’ll pick the rest of the Grimes ASAP.
In the afternoon we both judged apple pies at Absolem Cider in Winthrop. They were having their own apple pie contest and apple festival. The place was mobbed. It was fun to see the pies and the people. Sadly, it was clear that the chefs don’t have access to real pie apples. (We both agreed that the tastiest pie was the one made from foraged apples.) I look forward to seeing pie apples back in the commercial orchards and the backyards of every Maine home. Those modern apples are not fit for pies!
There are a few old apple trees at Absolem. One that’s growing not far from the tasting room is a Roxbury Russet. Although ubiquitous in the Maine landscape for two hundred years, nearly all of the “Rox” are gone. It’s a great apple, and it’s fun to connect with an old tree.