fletcher sweet

Fletcher Sweet is a historic, dessert cultivar that originated on the Jonathan Fletcher Farm in Lincolnville, ME. I rediscovered it in the fall of 2002 with the help of Lincolnville historians, Rosey Gerry and Diane O’Brien, and Lincolnville farmer, Clarence Thurlow. They took me to the ancient tree at the base of Fletcher Mountain (now called Moody Mountain) in what was long ago referred to as Fletchertown. That tree died that winter, but before it did, I was able to take scionwood and graft about a half dozen trees from one of the last living twigs. One of those new trees is now growing at Breezemore Park in Lincolnville. I later found a second old tree just outside Hope Village that was said to have been grafted by Clarence Thurlow from the Fletchertown tree. The DNA profile has shown that the two trees are identical.

Fletcher Sweet fruit is medium-sized, round, light green, and sometimes with a faint orange blush. It resembles Tolman Sweet visually although the flavors are different. It’s not a true “sweet” variety. Rather, it’s subacid, crisp and juicy. It cooks down into a light yellow sauce with a hint of blackberry and vanilla. It doesn’t seem to get scab and keeps until about December.