Today in the orchard
Time to say goodbye to the Norton Greenings for 2025. They have officially reached their limit. It’s a great apple, but, alas, like many other early fall cultivars, it doesn’t keep. Before we bid farewell, however, I should share some new information I learned from Dorothy Rosenberg in Harpswell on Sunday about the apple’s history.
Although I was correct that the seedling was planted (or first discovered) at the Norton “old farmhouse” in Harpswell, I had the wrong person for whom it was planted. I had thought that the seed (or seedling) was planted on the day of Helen Norton’s birth. But that was incorrect. Helen Norton was not born a Norton, she was born Helen Appel. The seed (or seedling) actually dates from the birth day of Helen’s sister-in-law Hannah Dring (nee Norton).
I think I may have met Helen Norton with Roberto McIntyre some years ago, but I don’t believe I’ve met Hannah Dring. Both women are still living as far as I know, and both are well into their 90’s. I need to go say hello and tell them how much I love ”their” apple… and that I hope I now have the story straight.
One added note about the Norton Greening. The original tree died a few years ago. By then I had recognized its value and had grafted it up here on our farm. We subsequently grafted a few trees from our wood and reintroduced it to Harpswell. What goes around, comes around!