Virginia Beauty and Her Kin

(Page 3 of 6)

October/November 1996
By Tim Hensley 
Article Tools
Print
Comments
RSS
Bookmark and Share

RELATED CONTENT

Likewise, the Spitzenburg is renowned for its rich, aromatic, and spicy flavor. One promological writer has described it as "the finest eating apple in the world when perfectly ripe." Hard to pass up, right?

But growing a Spitzenburg is a different story. The tree itself is of low vigor with a susceptibility to scab, canker, and fire blight. On top of that, it requires a pollinator, it tends to biennial bearing (bearing fruit every other year), and it ripens unevenly October through November, a real nightmare for the guy at the orchard in charge of picking. What I am saying is that many of the old varieties are not pretty enough or prolific enough or punctual enough to suit the needs of the commercial orchardist.

But for the home orchardist, these same varieties can make coming home from work seem like stepping into Eden. And those little quirks and faults can even work in your favor. If Spitzenburg takes six weeks to ripen its fruit, that's okay. You're not looking to pick 20 bushels of apples all at once anyway. If Newtown Pippin is not very pretty, that's okay too. Beauty is only skin deep; gustatory delights run clear to the core. And so what if your Benham apple doesn't keep very well. It'll be traveling from the tree to the kitchen table—if it gets that far!

WHY JUST THREE? There is a huge world beyond Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and Granny Smith. Home orcharding is how it was done for years in the South; subsistence farming dictated it. Apples were a staple of the time. They were used for cooking, drying, and making cider and vinegar. They were eaten fresh and stored away. As a result, nurseries from that era carried a wide selection of varieties. The Joshua Lindley Nursery of North Carolina, for example, offered 169 different apple varieties in 1869. In 1900, the Franklin Davis Nursery of Richmond, Virginia, listed 269 varieties. A large operation, they shipped apples all over the South.

SHOP CLOSE to home and expect to pay from $7 to $20 for good, husky, one year whips. I happen to come from a family of nurserymen myself, and just last spring I was able to visit my great-great grandfather's home place at Silver Leaf Nursery in Lee County, Virginia. Things there are much as they were in the 1930s, so I was able to poke around through some of the old nursery books and papers. One little nugget I carried away from the visit was a page from one of the old order books the salesmen used to carry. Dated 1933, it lists 33 different apple varieties.

Page: << Previous 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Next >>
Bookmark and Share
RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print
FEATURED ARTICLES
MOST POPULAR


Subscribe Today - Pay Now & Save 66% Off the Cover Price

First Name: *
 Last Name: *
Address: *
 City: *
State/Province: *
 Zip/Postal Code:*
Country:
 Email:*
(* indicates a required item)
Canadian subs: 1 year, (includes postage & GST). Foreign subs: 1 year, . U.S. funds.
Canadian Subscribers - Click Here
Non US and Canadian Subscribers - Click Here

Lighten the Strain on the Earth and Your Budget

Mother Earth News is the guide to living — as one reader stated — “with little money and abundant happiness.” Every issue is an invaluable guide to leading a more sustainable life, covering ideas from fighting rising energy costs and protecting the environment to avoiding unnecessary spending on processed food. You’ll find tips for slashing heating bills; growing fresh, natural produce at home; and more. Mother Earth News helps you cut costs without sacrificing modern luxuries.

At Mother Earth News, we are dedicated to conserving our planet’s natural resources while helping you conserve your financial resources. That’s why we want you to save money and trees by subscribing through our Earth-Friendly automatic renewal savings plan. By paying with a credit card, you save an additional $4.95 and get 6 issues of Mother Earth News for only $10.00 (USA only).

You may also use the Bill Me option and pay $14.95 for 6 issues.