TODAY IN THE ORCHARD

The 2024 apple pie taste-off, September 14

This weekend was the annual pie taste-off at Camp Merryweather in North Belgrade. Twenty-five pie “experts” each sampled small pieces of three single-variety pies and then voted on their favorite. The three varieties were Milton, Milwaukee and Munson. Milton is a McIntosh x Yellow Transparent cross from the NY experiment station breeding program in 1923. The Milton crust collapsed, and though the flavor was decent, it was too soupy, just like a Mac. The Milwaukee, from an old tree in our Finley Lane Orchard, is thought to be a Duchess seedling. The Milwaukee fruit held up well in the oven, but the flavor was too tart for many of the tasters. (It was excellent with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.) The Munson, an old Massachusetts apple, is from a tree discovered by Russ Libby. The Munson had both good flavor and texture. The after dinner excitement built up to a frenzy, and when the ballots were cast, Munson was the clear winner with 14 of 24 votes. It’s a beautiful apple and looks to have a big future ahead of it in the oven.