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!
