Apple Mysteries

Our friends from Tennessee arrived late yesterday afternoon. They unloaded their car and we all sat down to a dinner of Salisbury steak, potatoes, green beans, and pecan pie for dessert. I did not make the pie. One of my friends at church made it for the husband as a thank-you for doing the concrete cutting in the basement for the bathroom renovation project. The four of us sat and visited for a couple of hours. They will be here for a month, so we didn’t feel the need to do all of our catching-up at once.

I’ve mentioned that my friend Susan has grafted a number of apple trees for me. She likes to hunt down unique varieties, especially local ones, and if there are extras, I am happy to put them in my orchard. I ran across this article yesterday morning:

Apple Once Thought Extinct Discovered in Pullman by WSU Student

Pullman is Pullman, WA, and WSU is Washington State University. I should note that “extinct” is a loose definition—here, it means mostly that the apple variety disappeared from commercial production and common identification. Because apple trees don’t come with built-in signage advertising their identity, DNA testing is the best way to narrow down the variety.

I mentioned the article to Susan after church yesterday morning and she was very excited to know that Walbridge—the “extinct” variety—had been found and identified. (Apparently, there are also some Walbridge trees in Colorado.) I have no doubt that Walbridge trees will show up here as soon as she can get her hands on some scion wood for grafting. In the meantime, she is considering sending off a leaf for DNA testing for an unidentified apple tree that grows here in our little community. It produces apples that look like this:

She says it is very tasty, not a good keeper, but worth having anyway. Perhaps a good pie apple? I will be curious to find out if it can be identified.

I could easily become obsessed with apples. When my sister and I were growing up, our parents took us out to a place called Henrietta Hill that I think must have been in Henrietta Township in Lorain County, Ohio. (My mother can probably fill in the details.) There was a large orchard there and we would get apple cider to bring home. I am particular about my apple cider. The cider sold here is way too sweet. Most of it comes from Honeycrisp apples, which I also think are way too sweet. I want apples that taste like the ones I grew up with, tart and tangy. The closest I’ve come is the State Fair tree in our front yard, although I also have some smaller Macintosh and Cortland trees that I suspect will produce the kinds of apples I remember once they get large enough to set fruit.

I know what I like and I like what I know, LOL.

Our lone cherry tree was loaded with blossoms this year so I am wondering if we will finally get a decent cherry harvest. I believe that one is a Montmorency.

This is what you get when I have no sewing to share. Go eat an apple.