North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Charles Paradise <machelp@attglobal.net>]

Jim
Reading Mass where your son lives may be 20 miles from Concord Mass where I 
write from.

First question I ask is:  how much spraying does your son want to do?
Second question I ask is:  does your son likes a sweet or a tart apple?

If he's willing to spray then I recommend travelling right now in 
mid-September to one of the
orchards in the region that have an extensive selection of apple varieties.   
Some of the
lesser-known but excellent varieties can be tasted there:  the Opalescent 
from Ohio, the "20-Ounce
Pippen", the Rhode Island Greening, the "Roxbury Russet".  Also the better 
known but still
uncommon varieties like "Northern Spy", Spy is the only apple I tend and 
cannot be beat for
cooking or eating out of hand, but the pests do go for it.

I just found two weeks ago a crab apple that has got the flavor I want, and 
looks more pest
resistant than the fancy apples.  Without spraying I'd tell anyone to plant a 
crab rather than a
fancy apple.

I hear there's an orchard somewhere in the north shore area, near where he 
lives, that has
extensively planted a lot of these varieties.  The king of all Massachusetts 
orchards for
varieties new and old is Creeper Hill Orchard in North Grafton.   Maybe an 
hour drive from
Reading.   We might have a weekend expedition there soon, so anyone who is 
interested in meeting
there in one of the next 3 weekends is welcome to email me at 
machelp@attglobal.net and maybe
we'll agree on a day + time.

A great way to find an apple you like is from the mailorder boxes of apples 
from Applesource,
another is to identify the orchards in your areas who grow something besides 
just the 5 apples
that all the orchards grow.

I don't know many nurseries in New England proper, but FEDCO is in Maine and 
sells many fine
apples and crabs.   But you know there are many nurseries elsewhere that 
carry or will custom
graft the variety he decides on.  Also a local NAFEX member like myself may 
have an extra
rootstock and graft for your son.
Charlie Paradise
Massachusetts zone 5



nottke wrote:

> Fellow Nafexers,
> My son in Reading, Mass. (just north of Boston), would like to plant a
> couple apple trees in his sunny, gently-sloped back yard - one for eating
> and one for cooking.  Could someone familiar with that region recommend a
> couple varieties and perhaps a couple nurseries in the region?
> Thanks.
>
> Jim Nottke
> Pfafftown, NC 27040
> Hardiness Zone 7A