Grandpa and Grandma Newcomer were quite the hoarding example-setters for little Lynea. Hungry after fall tennis practices, their comfy home, located by the courts, offered an insta-snack for my teenage tummy. Screen door snapping behind me, Grandma would have already risen from her reclining super-chair, eagerly helping unload the bags and gear from my arms. Before we could get jabbering about the day, though, I’d dash into the garage looking for an eat.
Therein lay more important decisions than questions on a calculus test; with my choice of three elderly refrigerators full of apples, cider and other assorted foods in storage, it was a snack drawer on steroids. My own home was far less interesting; only one sparkling clean refrigerator housed our food, and not a sweet drink to be found. I recall tall glasses of cider complemented with grandma’s particular delight – popcorn. I remember the apples keeping forever, and I remember it was easy to sit and chat with her. Easier than with my own classmates at times.
October is the time to turn my attention so wholeheartedly again to apples. The Backyard Fruit Growers of my southeastern Pennsylvania region held a tasting today, perfect for those who desire a good sampling before selecting fruits to hold them through the entire winter. The friend who alerted me to the event forgot to mention an empty stomach was required. More than 130 varieties of apples sat ready to be tasted! The enormity of the tasting overwhelmed me, but rather quickly one’s taste buds begin our inherent selection process. Yum, yummier, yummiest, with a couple of ‘no thank you’s’ as well.
Many of the varieties present had been cultivated by the hosting location: White Oak Nursery. It was clear from the identification tags that several people amongst the crowd were dedicated growers. Others were smaller backyard sized growers. I easily found the growers of my favorite varieties and chatted about obtaining some grafting stock . . . oh spring, the only hope for us on these dreary, raining fall days.
Of the multitudes, my pen knife and I I simmered down to doting on roughly four: the Macoon, the Hudson’s golden gem, the Chesapeake and the Spitzenburg. These days one can send off one’s apples to the University of Pennsylvania (amongst other places), to determine the variety, or to assess a newbie. With the roster of guests at this event, I hope to get a wonderful start on some old-time apples. But I’ll first attend the Winter Workshops on Feb. 20, 2010 in Lancaster, and clearly the Grafting Workshop on March 27, also in Lancaster. Nothing like planning ahead eating them all now!
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