tarecap bitter

Tarecap Bitter is a seedling with excellent cider potential selected and named by Tom Foote not far from Tarecap Mountain in the western Maine town of Hiram. Tom introduced the apple to us. “Tarecap” is an old word thought to refer to the yellow flowers that appear on the ancient blueberry land following the spring burning on the mountain.

We really like this apple. It is an attractive fruit, typically medium in size (2-3”), roundish in form, and almost entirely covered with muted, red stripes and blush over a muted, yellow-green ground color that is reminiscent of Somerset of Maine. The basin is shallow and obtuse. The cavity is obtuse to nearly acute. The stem is medium in length, thin and straight.

We’ve used the astringent, mildly bittersharp apples in our late-season cider with good results. The fruit mellows after frost and is ready to pick late in October. Those unpicked may hang on the tree indefinitely. We obtained our scionwood from Tom Foote. Currently growing at Super Chilly Farm.