Orchardist John Bunker: ' A History of Apples in New England'
Thanks to Kari Lygren, Jared Kane and John Bunker for photos of an ancient apple tree, speaker John Bunker, and heritage apples.
MMRG and Branch Hill Farm/Carl Siemon Family Charitable Trust (BHF/CSFCT) will present orchardist, gardener and apple historian John Bunker for a presentation about the history of apples in New England. The workshop will take place at 11 am on Saturday, April 4 at the Town of Middleton Old Town Hall, 200 Kings Highway, Middleton, NH.
Inthe early 1980’s, John Bunker started the mail-order nursery Fedco Trees, adivision of the cooperative, Fedco Seeds. In 2012, he founded the MaineHeritage Orchard in Unity Maine. His recent book, Apples and the Art ofDetection recounts hisforty years of tracking down, identifying and preserving rare apples. BranchHill Farm Executive Director Jared Kane is thrilled at Bunker’s planned visit,saying “John is the pre-eminent expert on heritage apples and we are soprivileged to have him come speak to us!”
From the 17th to the early 20th century,thousands of varieties of heirloom apples (malus domestica) dominatedthe New England landscape, yet today only a handful are found in our grocery aisles.Bunker will address what has become of this historic wealth of varieties andwhat made them so special. He’ll give examples of lesser known apples such asNodhead, Milden, and Granite Beauty and what they have in common. Anyone interested in apples and pears,agricultural history, New England history, cider, or simply curious about theold tree in their yard is encouraged to attend and bring questions.
Kane adds that the workshop with Bunker is akickoff to the planting of a new Heritage Orchard at Branch Hill Farm in MiltonMills. Explains Kane, “This holistically managed orchard will featurehistorically grown apples and pears in the Moose Mountain and greater NewEngland regions. Many of these will be cloned from old trees still surviving inback yards and fields. If you have an old apple tree you think should beincluded or have more questions about the Heritage Orchard please contact meat jared_kane@branchhillfarm.org.”
The workshop is free and open to the public. Pre-registration is helpfulbut not required. For more informationor directions or to register, contact MMRG Education Coordinator Kari Lygren at603-978-7125 or email mmrgnh@gmail.com.
Branch Hill Farm/the Carl Siemon Family Charitable Trust works to protect open space and working forests and to educate the public about sound forestry, conservation and agricultural practices; see www.branchillfarm.org.