This past Saturday we had 12 travel writers come to visit us and talk about our Hocking Hills Orchard and have an apple tasting. It was 30 degrees outside, so we set up the display in our house. It is really late in the season for us and we only had 12 varieties for them to sample, typically at our apple tastings we have between 40 to 45.
We had a couple of apple pies baked with our heirloom apple varieties and warm cider. What was supposed to be an hour visit lasted almost 2 and a half. The facilitator, Amy, for the group kept saying they had to go to the next stop and the writers kept lingering and asking question. So at one point Amy asked my wife, Lisa, can you turn him off so we can leave? Yep, I like to talk about apples!
One of the questions was how did I get started with this interest in heirloom fruit? I said in 1983 I read an article where someone talked about George Washington’s favorite apple, Newtown Pippin. I wrote the author and asked him about that and he told me about NAFEX. And one thing led to another and now we grow over 1,400 apple varieties and I am the contact on NAFEX for apples.
Derek and Lisa Mills
Hocking Hills Orchard at Four Seasons Cabins in SE Ohio