Sweetser's Apple Barrel

I am lucky to live in a town and a region with a long history of apple growing. I'm even luckier to live just down the street from Sweetser's Apple Barrel. There are lots of places around here where you can buy or pick good apples. The thing that makes Sweetser's particularly notable is that you can get so many different kinds of apples there. Mid-October is prime time.


You can't quite see it in the lame photo above, taken in failing light with a slow shutter speed and no support for my shaky hand, but that list of "Today's Varieties" includes, among the more usual suspects: Spencer, Jonafree, Snowapple, Brock, Liberty, Spartan, Rolfe, Wolfe River, Nodhead, Russet, Red Spy, Mutsu, Ben Davis, and Blue Pearmain. Be still, my heart!


The sight and taste of these apples, or even just knowing that they're still there (or there again) makes me happy. We don't have to go to the wilderness for it to be of great value to us; it just has to be there. I feel the same way about uncommon local apples. The analogy only goes so far, of course, when someone has to stay in business. Fortunately it is not a hard sell to get me to buy a bunch of these apples every year.

Sometimes I bite into one of the old, heirloom varieties, such as a Sheephead I had in Vermont one day that tasted like a dessicated kitchen sponge, and say to myself, "Yup, now I know why you never see this one anymore." That's part of the adventure. Other times, as with the Blue Pearmain I had from Sweetser's last week - dryish and firm, with a fascinating texture like underripe honeydew and overtones of acetone in the scent of its juice - you have to just shake your head and say, "This is bizarre ... but so good." If you are not an adventurous eater, try the Spencer. Snappy, juicy, and hard like a fresh Mac or Macoun, it also has a hint of the sweet, spicy, floral qualities of a Delicious. It's is a favorite of everyone in my family.