I’ve been in a routine lately of doing apple ID’s in the morning and cutting firewood along the orchard edge in the afternoon. It’s a good routine. Doing all day inside is too much. All day outside is quite wonderful except that cutting firewood is hard on the back after three or four hours. So I split the day and come in as it’s getting dark. Also both tasks are immense. I’m making a dent, but still have a long way to go. This way I inch along in both departments. So many apples to look at! So much firewood to gather for next winter!

In the apple world I’m deep into Hancock County, the gateway to Downeast Maine. Today’s star apple came in a bag labeled, “Worthen Goose Cove apple, Goose Cove, Trenton, collected 11/14/25.” Although I’ve never seen the tree, apparently it’s ancient and laying down, as they often do when they get very old. The apples are medium-large in size, roundish-oblate, greasy skinned, muted yellow, and partly to largely covered with muted, red blush and distinctive, red stripes. (I could go on.) We’ve been looking for an obscure apple in the area called Martha Stripe. Have we found it?