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Old Sturbridge Village Celebrates Apple Days Oct. 3-4

Heirloom apple tasting, cooking, oxen-powered cider mill,
orchard walks

(Sturbridge, Mass.) September 18, 2009 - Old Sturbridge Village celebrates the taste and history of an old-fashioned New England apple harvest during its annual “Apple Days” weekend Sat.-Sun. Oct. 3-4. Visitors can sample heirloom apple varieties and mulled cider, watch ox-powered apple grinding in the Village Cider Mill, learn how to cook with cider molasses, make apple fritters, and craft a sachet of mulling spices to take home.

In the apple orchard, an historian in costume will discuss the history of apple trees in New England and how they are propagated. Also, special OSV members-only events will take place on Sat. Oct. 3, including an apple pie contest. Apple Days at OSV is sponsored by the Cabot Cream-ery Cooperative. For all times and details: www.osv.org; 1-800-SEE-1830.
According to OSV historians, there were once thousands of apple varieties in North America that came from the English, from the French through Canada, and from the Spanish through Mexico.

“By the early 1800s, New England farmers developed hundreds of unique new varieties well suited to the local climate,” notes Christie Higginbottom, Old Sturbridge Village horticulturist and research historian. “These heirloom apples had wonderful flavors and memorable names like Hubbardston Nonesuch, Rhode Island Greening, Westfield Seek-No-Further, Sutton Beauty, Northern Spy, Golden Russet, and Cox’s Orange Pippin.

Today, there are about 800 varieties of apples, but only a few are carried in supermarkets. As America moved towards industrialized farming, the goal was high yields of hardy apples. The most common varieties today were chosen not for taste, but because they ship well, have a long shelf life, and have dependable harvests – like the ubiquitous Red Delicious.

In the 1830s, apples could be used fresh, stored in cellars, dried, or pressed into cider, making them available all year long. Children in early New England often had the job of checking the apples stored in barrels in the root cellar. According to Higginbottom, the job was quite an important one, because - with proper care - the finest storage varieties such as Baldwins and Roxbury Russets could keep for months. And, as the saying goes, "one bad apple spoils the bunch.”

Old Sturbridge Village celebrates New England life in the 1830s and is open 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., seven days a week through Oct. 24, when a new winter schedule begins. Admission: $20; seniors, $18; children 3-17, $7; children under 3, free. For details of all activities and hours of operation, visit www.osv.org or call 800-SEE-1830.

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