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Thursday, October 21, 2004

Country Mouse

Apples With Pedigrees Selling in Urban Edens

LEBANON, NH: Mr. Wood planted thousands of antique apple trees from 1993 to 1998, but a run of attacks by hungry beavers, deer and porcupines set them back several years. It was not until 1999 that Poverty Lane Orchards shipped significant quantities of rare apples to distributors in the Northeast.

The peculiarities of his varieties both vex and intrigue Mr. Wood. His favorite — it was also Thomas Jefferson's — is Esopus Spitzenburg, bright red, with sky-high levels of sugar balanced by floral acidity. But its limbs grow chaotically, shading out the branches below, and it often produces "blind" wood, with no buds.

"It's the tree from hell," Mr. Wood said, waving his arms at a row of unruly Spitzes as if to say, "Behave!"

(article & photo by David Karp for the New York Times)

Posted at 10:39 AM

Comments

001. heidi

what's this phoo-hockey? i'm bored and THIS is what you give me? where's the gossip about lindsey's boobs or MK's eyes? britney's zit cream or haylies nose? geesh. you'd think you live in new hampster or something. oh. wait a minute.....

Posted at 05:57PM on Thursday, October 21, 2004

002. me

I rather enjoyed the hungry beavers and unruly Spitzes. I mulled over the thought while whittling on my porch. And while I whittled, I whistled a jaunty tune.

Posted at 06:03PM on Thursday, October 21, 2004

003. Vanilla Flavoured David

Man, I want to live in New Hampshire. It's been ages since I've whittled.

My favourite type of apple is the Royal Gala. I eat one each day.

Posted at 08:24PM on Thursday, October 21, 2004

004. me

Also, doesn't Esopus Spitzenburg sound like he should be the town's genteel solicitor? Like, if you really needed a gin fizz, he would mix up a pitcher and you could sit and talk about Louis and Clark or something.

Posted at 08:31PM on Thursday, October 21, 2004

005. Jay

We sell those at the Hippie Foods Market on Columbus Circle. It's about a million dollars a pound... it's not $22 a pound coffee, so I'm not sure exactly how much, but I think it's about $7 a pound.