Entering the Fruitful Forest
AN APPLE ORCHARD has many attractions: A FRUITFUL FOREST filled with bright, colorful apples; home to bluebirds; lightly fragrant; beautifully maintained;…
Support Your Local Orchard!
HIGHLY VARIABLE is about the best way to describe the 2023 New England apple crop. Most people by know now that…
There is Art in Every Orchard
THERE IS SO MUCH MORE to a New England orchard than fresh, nutritious fruit. Apples are living history, after all, direct…
Russets for Walking and Cider
AN APPLE is the perfect walking companion, appealing to all the senses while providing a sweet, healthy energy boost. An apple…
Finding Your Favorite Apple
ONE OF THE GREAT VIRTUES of New England’s apple orchards is their diversity. Every orchard is different in landscape, growing style,…
All Things ConCidered
To see how cider is made, watch this seven-minute video. THIS WEEKEND marks the official celebration of the 26th annual Franklin County CiderDays,…
Raise a Toast to CiderDays and John Chapman (aka Johnny Appleseed)!
IT IS ONLY FITTING that, during the week leading up to what would have been a three-day celebration of apple cider,…
Russets: Small Size, Big Flavor
THEY ARE AMONG the most flavorful of apples. They excel in ciders, fresh and hard. Yet russet apples remain a mystery…
McIntosh, Still the Gold Standard
THE APPLE is an amazing food. It comes in all colors and shapes. It is extremely prolific, and it is…
Apples for All Ages and Places
IF, as the English poet and hymnodist William Cowper (1731-1800) said, “Variety’s the very spice of life, that gives it all…
When To Pick Apples, and Apple Pie Pancake
APPLE SEASON is full upon us! But depending on where you live, you may find some varieties are earlier than…
Mid-season Pleasures: Empire and Spencer
IT TAKES YEARS, sometimes decades, between the time an apple variety is discovered and it becomes available to the public….