September 30, 2021
The apples are ripening quickly! Currently, we have Jonathan apples, Grimes Golden, Steel Red, Northern Spy, McIntosh, and Wealthy apples available. It looks like it will be a beautiful, sunny day in the mid-70s tomorrow! A perfect day to come on out to the Orchard on Fisher Rd for fresh apples. We are open Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
I also want to let you know that I do listen to our customers, and the types of apples you want. A year ago I had a conversation with one of our customers about Grimes Golden, which is a wonderful older variety that is hard to find in most orchards these days. I mentioned that I had Golden Delicious planted in the young orchard that is not yet producing, and I thought the flavor was similar. She disagreed with me without saying so in words. I looked it up, then did a taste test to confirm. It turns out that although Grimes Golden is attributed to being one of the parents of Golden Delicious, the flavor is sweeter and richer in Grimes Golden. So we decided to plant it in the new orchard this spring. Golden Delicious is a fine apple, but if you’re looking for a more complex flavor, you might really enjoy Grimes Golden.
Ruth Anne Boone
Grandpa’s Orchard, 1930-present
It is dying, and a part of me with it.
Yet even in the dying, there is much to learn.
Of fruit on bent, gnarled old trees that seem
Past the age of bearing.
Of hard work and the joy it brings,
Even when times are hard.
Of beauty in Age.
Of the next generation learning to love
Apples and hard work, and seeing old
Friends come to get apples, and new friends
Discovering the lovely old world of the Orchard.
Now on to the Rebirth of the old dream of Grandpa’s
To plant an Orchard. And so we take the lessons with us
As we move forward with a new Orchard.
Ruth Anne Boone
3rd Generation Orchardist
Orchard Beach Farm 