Russell Steven Powell

Red Apple Farm Turns 100; McIntosh Apples Ready!

BEAUTIFUL WEATHER, A HOLIDAY WEEKEND, and an early crop make this a perfect time for apple picking. McIntosh, the region’s most…

2012 New England Apple Crop Forecast; Going Gravenstein

THERE WILL BE PLENTY of apples in New England’s orchards this fall, despite a smaller-than-normal crop. The region as a…

Apple Gifts

WHAT COULD BE more deliciously bold than a gift of New England apples this holiday season? Imagine the pleasure of receiving…

Pears with Apples (Like Shamrock, Honeycrisp, and Hudson’s Golden Gem)

PEARS PLAY a supporting role to apples in New England. You never hear of a pear orchard with a few apple…

Notes From an Apple Pie Judge

THIRTY-FIVE APPLE PIES in less than two hours. I paced myself this year, taking two bites from each — just…

Classic Cookers: Northern Spy, Baldwin, and Rhode Island Greening

A CENTURY AGO they were the three most popular varieties in the Northeast. Today, Baldwin, Rhode Island Greening, and Northern…

Admiring the Empire; Apple Dings and Dents

APPLE GROWERS spend their year trying to grow perfect fruit, and they succeed a remarkable amount of the time. The…

Orange New England Apples

MOST PEOPLE THINK RED first when they think of apples. This takes in a multitude of varieties, after all, like…

Marvelous Macoun Apples

FEW APPLES ARE AS EAGERLY ANTICIPATED every fall as Macoun, and apple lovers will be happy to know that they…

Nothing Beats a McIntosh Apple

COMPARED TO MANY VARIETIES, McIntosh is a finicky apple. The creamy flesh beneath its thin skin bruises easily, and, more…

Pollination and Spring Bloom

NEW ENGLAND’S APPLE ORCHARDS are about to blossom. After last year’s early bloom — two or three weeks in some…

New England Orchard Pruning, ‘IPM,’ and Apple-plum Combo

APPLES ARE SO AGREEABLE. Invite them to breakfast, lunch, or dinner and they will feel quite at home. It doesn’t…