March 26, 2025

Today in the orchard

Today I began to tackle pruning our Northern Spy tree. What a beast! I grafted it nearly forty years ago not knowing what it was. I knew it was a great apple, and I’d heard of Northern Spy, but I had not yet put two and two together. I was still learning the basics. I called it Dimmock’s Red - a poor choice since there is a Dymock Red in the UK. I eventually figured out that what I had grafted from behind the Dimmocks’ farm up the road was Northern Spy. And so… I waited.  Northern Spy has the reputation of taking forever to bear. We definitely had the real thing. 

Fast forward. We’ve been getting ‘Spys’ for many years now, and they live up their reputation. It’s a great apple. Our tree is incredibly vigorous. Across the top it pushes out about 500 water sprouts annually that we dutifully cut off, one by one. Last year I began a new strategy: I tied a few of the watersprouts into pretzels and loops per the inspiration of Matt Kaminsky and Laura Sieger. Those loops have fruit buds this year. So today I tied about 70 more loops. Maybe we’ll “tame” our Northern Spy and turn her into a fruiting pretzel! 

March 25, 2025

Today in the orchard

It was only 15 F this morning. We seem to be sliding back into winter now that it’s officially been spring for the past three days. The daytime temperature reached nearly freezing, but the wind never let up.

Redford

Yesterday winter returned to the farm only five days after officially passing the baton to spring. In the morning there was hardly a splat of snow left in sight with the exception of a few tired piles in the shade by the shop. That all changed at noon when it began to snow. The snow continued until well after dark. We arose this morning to a ‘winter’ wonderland. 

At an apple meeting in Massachusetts a few weeks ago I met Bleecker Wheeler of Watson Wheeler Cider. We were sharing ciders, and he poured an excellent rose. Being ever-curious about what gets crushed to make juice, I asked him about his fruit. He told me about a red-fleshed apple he discovered—evidently planted as an ornamental—in the driveway circle of a home in Vermont. He submitted leaves for DNA profiling. The results came back as having no match in the reference dataset, but with the same parentage as the well-known Redfield. He had found a full-sibling of one of my favorite apples! (I should add that he had also made a clever label for the cider, which showed perfectly the two-toned white and pink flesh of the apple. I can’t adequately describe it. You’ll have to buy a bottle for yourself.)

So what is this mystery apple? Redfield was released in 1938 along with a full-sibling, Redford. Both were the creations of Richard Wellington, the brilliant NY breeder who also introduced Macoun and Lodi. Redford is not nearly as well-known as Redfield. In fact, I don’t know anyone growing it other than us. We grow both Redford and Redfield here on our farm. Although I’ve tried hard to find variations between them, they appear to be phenotypically indistinguishable.

It may be that the apple Bleecker found is Redford. That would be fun. It also could be that he found a third full-sibling, one that was never named. That would be fantastic. Redford is not in the myfruittree.org reference dataset, so it has not yet been profiled. We’ll remedy that this summer. Once we get the results, we’ll know if he found a rare Redford or an insanely-rare third sibling.

Now, back to the snow. 

March 25, 2025

SUPER CHILLY FARM APPLE TREE SALE

Once again this spring we have our annual selection of unusual apple trees for sale.  The trees are 2 years old and 4-6 ft. in height. They include an assortment of promising New England seedling selections, European cider cultivars, recent historic discoveries and a whole lot more. We’ll be digging trees in mid-April. You can pick them up at the farm or have them shipped right to your doorstep. You can find descriptions of all the trees and order them right here on the website. If you have questions, feel free to be in touch. 

March 23, 2025

Today in the orchard

It was only 15 F this morning. We seem to be sliding back into winter now that it’s officially been spring for the past three days. The daytime temperature reached nearly freezing, but the wind never let up.

Jughead, Super Chilly Farm, 10.17.24

Cammy pruned our dwarf block of G11’s and Bud9’s. We have about 30 dwarf trees just to keep tabs on how they do in central Maine. They are precocious, and some of the trees look great. In 2024 a one-year graft of “Jughead” on Bud9 produced two apples! (We were probably supposed to pick them off as they started to develop but who would ever do that?)

On the other hand, some of our dwarf trees haven’t done well at all. That may have more to do with the cultivar than the rootstock. We have Reine des Pommes on G11 and Bud9 that both have failed to thrive despite our TLC.

We do not have the dwarf trees growing on wires, although we do have each tree tied to a cedar post. Free-standing dwarfs do not have the strength to stay upright. They can also be drought sensitive so we irrigate ours.

Of the two rootstocks, we like Bud9 better than G11. These days we don’t even try to keep up with the dozens of rootstocks out there to choose from. We focus our attention on the cultivars, and grow most everything on standard seedling roots.

March 22, 2025

Apples in Japan, March 2025

Today in the orchard

Cammy and I spent the day pruning in the orchards. It was below freezing early but warmed up to nearly 50F - ‘shirt sleeve’ weather. We assess each tree as we go along. Every tree gets a grade for how it looks. Last year’s growth was really impressive. Most of the trees look great, including a number that had languished for years and then, all of sudden, took off in 2024. The weather, the stars or the Apple Godesses were good to the orchard. Or as Hafiz put it about 800 years ago, “…when the clouds were generous with what fell from them and the sun rationed itself with precision…” 

Meanwhile, halfway around the world, our son-in-law, Gregory, was on a ski trip to Japan. He generously photoed all the apples he could find and forwarded the images back to us. One of them is of a poster of Japanese cultivars. I can’t wait to find someone who can translate Japanese apple names! Feel free to be in touch if you’re willing to give it a shot. 

March 21, 2025

Today in the orchard

Lauren picking apples not so long ago

Today was an indoor day. Outside it was 32F and raining. In the morning I talked to a writer from the Saturday Evening Post then met for a few hours with Todd Little Siebold. Later we were joined by CJ Walke and Lauren Cormier of the Maine Heritage Orchard. We discussed what to add to the collection as well as what to remove. Space is limited, and we always have important new discoveries that deserve to be saved. Following our “MHO” meeting, Todd and I joined in a zoom meeting of the Historic Fruit Tree Working Group. We’re developing protocol for adding cultivars to the DNA reference panel to which submissions for identification from around the USA can be compared. After that meeting I continued to work with Cammy on our website. We’re adding descriptions of the apples in our Finley Lane test orchard. Check it out.

March 20, 2025

Terrible vole damage (the lower tan-colored area) on an unhappy apple tree. Massachusetts, March 2025.

Today in the orchard

I spent all day in the Finley Lane Orchard pruning apple trees. It was raw and misty outdoors but certainly preferable to being indoors. I was joined by Skylar Bodeo-Lomicky, my new apple student. We haven’t taken off the tree guards this spring since snow is still in the forecast, but we did see some vole damage on the unprotected apple seedlings that have been germinating throughout the orchard. Every fall we put spiral, plastic tree guards on the grafted trees that we remove in the spring. (We wrap older trees with trunks that are too large for the plastic tree guards with old window screen.)  The guards/ screening protect the tender tree bark from the hungry teeth of voles and mice during the late fall and winter when they tunnel under the snow and long grass looking for things to gnaw on. In a couple of weeks we’ll remove them all.

March 19, 2025

Today in the orchard

I spent the morning at the Maine Pomological Society (Pom Soc) spring meeting, early afternoon watching a webinar on DNA by Cameron Peace, and then rounded out the afternoon pruning pear trees.  What a day!  

The Pom Soc meetings provide excellent opportunities to meetup with other Maine growers, hear the latest research on growing apples, learn about other fruit crops (this year, hardy peach cultivars) as well as changes in state and federal policy. 

Cameron Peace (center) with Gayle Volk and John, Appleton, Maine 2024

The University of Idaho Annual Heritage Orchard Conference presents once-a-month talks from October to April by knowledgeable fruit growers, researchers, breeders and historians from around the US. Cameron's talk focused on the genetics of apples and the use of DNA technology in cultivar identification. All the past talks are archived at the University of  Idaho website (https://www.uidaho.edu/cals/sandpoint-organic-agriculture-center/conference). If you don’t know about the series, check it out. It’s excellent. 

March 18, 2025

Today in the orchard

I spent all day in our Finley Lane orchard pruning apple trees and clearing brush from along the fences. Laura Sieger stopped by the morning to cut more scionwood for Fedco. Cammy joined me for the afternoon. Jared Carr made an appearance late in the day bringing us scionwood from one of his discoveries, “Western Maine White.”  He had recently written to me about the apple, and it sounded like one that required a slot in our research orchard! 

Four Maine cider makers (and support staff), from left: Gene Cartwright, Zack Kaiser, Jared Carr and Angus Deighan, 2023

“The juice made from this apple is a beautiful mahogany and decently high in sugar with plenty of astringent and bitter tannin. When fermented it tastes like a wonderful English bittersweet cider that someone unfortunately put their cigarettes out in. When used in a blend it still isn’t pleasant. So I left the disappointing varietal bottles alone in the corner until I could decide what to do with them. 5 years later I had purchased my home and was cleaning the basement that was to become the cidery with my wife and thought we deserved a celebratory drink! I grabbed one of these old bottles with low expectations. I poured it into my favorite crystal snifter and when I took that first sip it was now like a wonderfully aged English bittersweet cider enjoyed in a pleasant cigar bar, or perhaps the notes of peat moss. Time had been wonderful to this bottle and I contemplated how I might recreate this on a larger scale! Just then my wife, who was still working, was sweeping in reverse and knocked my favorite glass with my favorite drink off of the table and onto the concrete floor. After my sadness had passed I got back to work, cleaning the rest of the room leaving that spot for last so I could at least enjoy the aroma for as long as possible.

Now after growing this tree for years, it isn’t particularly precocious or disease resistant. The fruit is actually mostly red when it gets adequate sunlight (I’m not going to change the name). Ultimately I don’t think it has commercial potential, but I still grow 3 trees that someday will produce cider to share with friends and family and will probably be the beverage that is poured at my funeral.”

March 17, 2025

Today in the orchard

Pipsqueak (Frostbite x Chestnut Crab).

It rained off and on all day. The ducks loved it. The stream that runs adjacent to their house is flowing with gusto, and they were frolicking in it all day. The wet dogs, on the other hand, were less enthusiastic. They stood by the porch door and looked longingly at us. We tried to ignore them while we organized scionwood orders and got them ready for shipping. 

One of the most exciting and rewarding things about growing rare—and sometimes weird—apples is that people actually learn about them and want to grow them. It’s hard to call these bizarre cultivars that we grow (and love) “popular”, but several have struck the fancy of more than a few growers. Take Pipsqueak. Pipsqueak is an excellent dessert (fresh eating) apple that we started from a Frostbite (aka MN 447) seed about twenty years ago. We only knew the one parent until we had it DNA profiled recently and discovered that the second parent is Chestnut Crab. Both apples are delicious, and both possess unusual genetic ancestry including atypical Malus (apple) species. That makes them very unlike your common Malus domestica. The Pipsqueak tree is vigorous and healthy, and a bite of the fruit will make you happy. Unfortunately it has two flaws for the commercial grower: the fruit size is small—only about 2”— and the skin is usually russeted. We love russet, but Hannaford and Shaws do not. Darn! Pipsqueak will never make it to the big time, but if you’re looking for a tasty apple treat—ripening in October in central Maine— try Pipsqueak!    

March 16, 2025

Today in the orchard

1760 Dantziger Kantenapfel

Lumpy Red from Harpswell

I went to Brunswick to give an afternoon talk at the Curtis Memorial Library. I rarely get asked to give late winter/spring talks. This one was fun and well-attended. Several friends who I hadn’t seen in some time where there. I grafted a Black Oxford tree on the spot and was able to avoid doing damage to my fingers or the library carpet. After the presentation we tasted apples from our rootcellar, including Frostbite, Roxbury Russet, Black Oxford, Ashmead’s Kernal and Hudson’s Golden Gem. All are still very tasty. One of the attendees told me about another Kavanagh tree Freeport that I hadn’t known about.

Later Alyssa Gravlik and I went down the Harpswell Neck peninsula to collect scions from the Dantziger Kantenapful tree, an apple that Roberto McIntyre introduced to me long ago. He called it Lumpy Red (an apt name). I was able to make a tentative ID using the 1760 Pomologia by Johann Hermann Knoop. Another highlight of our Harpswell tour was a stop at the amazing Baldwin tree that Roberto also introduced to me. That’s the tree from which our Baldwin scionwood comes.

March 15, 2025

Today in the orchard

Dave Fulton with one of his discoveries, November 2024

It has finally started to warm up in central Maine. Most of the snow is gone in our Finley Lane Orchard although in the woods there’s still some snow cover. Mud Season is almost here. This morning a large flock of grackles and one redwing blackbird showed up at our bird feeder. I love the thought that they were flying overhead, looked down and saw our place: “Dude! Check that out! Looks like an awesome spot to drop in and bulk up on some sunflower seeds!”

I decided it was time to cut the rest of the scionwood we need for this spring’s grafting. It was a long day. Cammy helped in the afternoon. Dave Fulton stopped by to cut scions of some of the rare, English cider apples we’ve imported from the UK over the past decade. Dave is assembling an impressive collection in Blue Hill.

March 14, 2025

Today in the orchard

Pi Day. Our old friends Phil and Deborah came over, and we pruned most of the day together. They have a farm in the Blue Hill area and are old hands at everything we do. Phil and I pruned in the BRC. I gave him (almost) complete say on all the cuts we made, while I cleared away competing blackberries and consulted as necessary. It was fun to see what another experienced pruner would do with our trees. (A little scary but fortunately I trust Phil!) We talked pretty much non-stop the whole time. What a great way to celebrate Pi Day (3.14).   We should have eaten a pie at lunch time, but we wanted to get back out to the orchard to keep pruning. 

Phil Norris and John - two old pruners cutting it up in the orchard on Pi Day.

 What are the best spring pie apples? Well, the Black Oxfords are the obvious choice; they are still in very good shape, and we love them. Northern Spy is also an excellent choice for March. Baldwin would be decent though we’ve already used them all. Fallawater and Northwestern Greening are two more. What we’ve called Cherryfield or Benton Red which might now, via DNA, be Salome is good too.  (So many names! Are any of them correct?)  We choose apples that are still firm and on the acidic—tart—side.  If you can’t remember what apples make the best pies, think of Jamie Tartt, the darling football player in Ted Lasso.  He’s got the right name. He’s tart —a little on the acidic side—but always fun and full of surprises. Just like a great pie. Happy Pi Day!

March 13, 2025

Today in the orchard

Winterberry (Ilex verticillata)

I pruned most of the day in the orchard we call the BRC. The hours flew by as I snipped and trimmed. No chainsaws needed. I completed the first ring around the orchard that’s exactly one acre.  We have fifty-eight apple trees within the space. Most of the trees are thirty feet apart, although a few are closer. All are on “standard” seedling rootstocks. The oldest trees are now fourteen years old.
All around and in between the apple trees are companion plants, hundreds of them. Some we introduced but most either pre-date the apples or have appeared over time on their own.  The most common native woody plant in the BRC is Winterberry (Ilex verticillata). It’s a small, tough-wooded, multi-stemmed shrub with smooth, gray bark that grows to be about 8 ft tall. We have dozens of clumps (is clump a scientific term?) It’s called Winterberry for a reason. The fall-winter berries can be incredibly beautiful although at this time of year they are rather shriveled up. I have cut some of them back as the adjacent apple trees have gotten larger, but mostly I leave them alone to do their thing. They are great companions.  

March 12, 2025

Today in the orchard

Cammy and I pruned most of the day. It was sunny until mid-afternoon, and the temperature was in the high 20’s—perfect for being in the orchard. I worked entirely in the orchard we call the BRC. My strategy is to work around the entire perimeter, then continue in a progression of concentric circles getting closer and closer to the center. Most of the pruning I do is not on the apple trees but on the hundreds of “companion” plants that fill the orchard and surround the apple trees. The companions play an integral role in creating what we hope will be a balanced ecosystem in the orchard. As we prune the apple trees, we collect scionwood for grafting. If you’re interested in obtaining scionwood from us this year, place your order soon or it will be too late. Once the prunings are scattered and mixed up on the snow, they become nameless trimmings, valuable for chipping but not for grafting.

March 11, 2025

Today in the orchard

John and Amanda Beal, the Ag commissioner, planting trees at the Governor’s house in Augusta, 2019.

Today I paid a visit to the Blaine House in Augusta where I’ve been planting a Maine State Orchard that will eventually be sixteen apple trees—one originating in each of our counties. The eleven trees planted so far look good. This spring I hope to plant three more.  Planting time is just around the corner. In another month or so we’ll be out there digging holes. Get your shovels ready! 

March 10, 2025

Today in the orchard

John’s only public talk this winter will be this coming Sunday, March 16th at 2:00 PM at the Curtis Memorial Library on 23 Pleasant Street in Brunswick. It’s not often that John gets to do winter-spring talks, and this one will be a perfect opportunity to look at what to do in the orchard in spring time. He promises to include lots of useful information and several fun surprises. There’s no charge for the talk, but registration is required and space is limited.  Register today if you’d like to join in on a March orchard celebration. Hope to see you there. Here’s the link to register.

February 24, 2025

Melissa pruning on a chilly day

Today in the orchard

Melissa Madden joined us for a day of pruning in the orchard. Melissa is a New York orchardist and cider-maker who has been visiting central Maine for the past month. Cammy, Melissa and I pruned a number of the larger trees in our “Finley Lane” test orchard. One of Melissa’s specialties is looping and weaving branches as a strategy for reducing vigor and increasing productivity. You can see one of her loops in the foreground of the picture. We did a lot of looping today. The air temperature was milder than it’s been, but the combination of a solid cloud cover and a steady breeze made for a chilly day. Still we had an excellent and whimsical time. Pruning season is in full swing. 

Here’s an apple Haiku for today from Anthony Neils:

“Learn from plants” he says
Now I’m stuck outside freezing
Maybe he was right

February 22, 2025

Today in the orchard

Lizzie and Khris packing CSA apples, Fall 2024

Announcing out on a limb rare apple csa - 2025

We’re so excited to let you know that Lizzie and Khris Hogg who will be taking over the CSA in 2025 and beyond have a new website that will answer all your CSA questions. We don’t expect much to change from the 2024 CSA as they plan to keep the same distribution sites (including our barn) and number of deliveries, but surely they will add their own sparkle to the newsletters and recipes (Khris is the fantastic and innovative chef of their homestead restaurant). They may even track down some never-before-tasted apples for you to try. For all you apple lovers who have taken an apple journey with us over the past 16 years, we hope you will continue adventuring with Khris and Lizzie. They know their stuff and are as apple crazy as we are, well almost.

February 21, 2025

TODAY IN THE ORCHARD

South Dakota Ben and sauce

Today I begin to put several late apples to the “sauce test.” The first is South Dakota Ben, an oddly-named apple that attracted the attention of Cammy and me when we were exploring the Geneva collection in 2016. We liked it enough to topwork it into our test orchard the following spring. South Dakota Ben is a 1938 introduction of Niels Hansen. Although I don’t think its parentage has been confirmed via DNA, according to Bulletin 339, “New Hardy Fruits for the Northwest”, June 1940, it’s a cross of Jonathan and Tony crab. Tony crab is thought to be a cross of M. baccata and McMahan White (aka McMahon etc). South Dakota Ben has fruited for us annually for the past few years, and the fruit quality has been excellent. It ripens late in the fall and keeps quite well in the rootcellar. Supermarkets will not be clammering for them in the foreseeable future as they they are about the size of a Chestnut Crab, but the desert quality is good, as is the vigor, productivity and the storability (is that a word?). The sauce—I can now attest—is decent with good texture, an apricot color and interesting flavor. The fruit is also beautiful. So far the tree appears to be hardy. What a combination. In fact, I’m eating a bowl of the sauce mixed with my morning oatmeal as I write this report.