For two days a group we call The Historic Fruit Tree Working Group of North America met under the arbor here on the farm, shaded by grapes and surrounded by apple trees, to discuss the lofty goals of preserving and documenting the world’s apples. Our strategy has been to maximize collaboration between private, public and governmental Malus (apple) collections across the US and around the globe. Our current projects include creating a shared database and refining the process for confirming the true identity of the rare cultivars we’ve been finding before it’s too late and we lose this precious apple heritage.

The weather both days was perfect, the food great, the company the best, and we actually got a lot done. I think we all agree that we’re on the right track although we all know that we have a long way to go. Tomorrow we all head to Maine Apple Camp.