028: John Bunker | Apple Identification

028: John Bunker | Apple Identification

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist April 27, 2016 Duration: 42:48

When John Bunker talks or teaches Apple Identification he doesn't begin with the apple. He always goes back to the root of the tree…unless it is one of the Eric Clapton apples, i.e., you immediately recognize it as a variety that you all ready know. John provides a great metaphor for recognizing apples that you have learned to instantly know, much like you would a riff from your favorite musician.

The core of the issue is your knowledge base of beginning to recognize key attributes that stand out during the apple identification process.

Episode 016: John Bunker and Cammy Watts - apple identification
Cammy Watts and John Bunker



Where to start with Apple Identification?

John says it, Begin by learning at least 24 varieties

Two to learn first:

  • Macintosh
  • Cortland

"You want to obsess over a Dingaling Sweet, not a Mac or Cortland apple."

Is it a seedling tree?

When asked: How old it the tree? John says, "I need to see the tree to determine if it is a seedling."

  • You learn what are the attributes or the characteristics of the tree
  • Even a hundred years later you can see the graft.

Determining the age in Apple Identification

  • Trunk diameter.
  • Is it hollow. All old trees are hollow, so you can't do a core sample. "
  • "They are coreless"
  • Is there a pattern?
  • Are they in rows?
  • Can you see how they were planted?
  • What was the distance between the trees?

When you are finally ready to look at the fruit you have eliminated what it could be.

Cider Chat Ep 28 Apple identification Wanted Posters

Can you test the DNA of an apple? 

  • The collection of DNA of apples is relatively new in the span of history.

How do we then find out if what we have is a particular apple?

John says, "You eliminated the pool, you are like Sherlock Holmes"

Apples mentioned in this Cider Chat

  • Northern Spy
  • Baldwin
  • Oldman Sweet
  • Poundsweet
  • Gravenstine
  • Blue Pearmain
  • Northern Spry
  • Ben Davis
  • Givens originated in Topsom Maine
  • Harrison and Hues
  • Campfield
  • Wanted info on the Fairbanks apple
  • Honeycrisp
  • Gala
Cider Chat Ep 28 FEDCO Apple Identification catalog
FEDCO Trees Catalog

John Recommends: Books: Apples of New York SA Beech 1904 2 volumes

Contact Super Chilly Farm

Become a Patron of Cider Chat via the Cider Chat Patreon Page

 

 

 


There’s a whole world in a glass of cider, and Cider Chat is your invitation to explore it. Hosted by award-winning cidermaker and writer Ria Windcaller, this podcast travels far beyond the bottle to meet the people who make the global cider culture so vibrant. Each conversation is a journey-you might find yourself in a heritage orchard learning the history of forgotten apple varieties, in a bustling taproom with an importer explaining regional traditions, or in a kitchen with a chef pairing cider with unexpected foods. The discussions get into the delightful nuances, too, whether that’s the semantics of what we even call this drink or how the concept of terroir translates from soil to sip. It’s not just about production; it’s about the community, the travel, and the stories that fermentation unlocks. This is for anyone curious about the craft, history, and sheer enjoyment of fermented apple juice in all its forms. So, pour a glass and settle in for a series that feels like a wide-ranging, informative, and genuinely good-humored chat with friends who happen to be obsessed with cider. You’ll come away with a deeper appreciation for every effervescent, tart, or sweet sip, hearing directly from the growers, makers, and enthusiasts who are shaping this drink’s exciting present and future.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 501

Cider Chat
Podcast Episodes
358: Apple History, Terroir and Cider of New York | CiderCon 2023 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:14
Newtown Pippin, Northern Spy and Esopus Spitzenberg apples and cider in New York A pre-recorded seminar from CiderCon 2023 with 3 influential panelist based in New York. [caption id="attachment_8097" align="aligncenter"…
357: Purchase Cider Online | Press Then Press [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 51:09
Meet the Storie and Erik of Press Then Press Storie Madrid first connected with Ria at Cider Chat via Twitter. In this niche market it is easy to get close to people of similar interests and passions. Storie has recently…
356: Holistic Fruit Growers Roundtable | Maine Apple Camp [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:06
Discover Holistic Growing Practices Enjoy this roundtable discussion moderated by Glen Koehler with 4 holistic practitioners. This roundtable was recorded at Maine Apple Camp 2022. Holistic Panelist Eric Shatt - Redbyrd…
355: CiderCon Recap and Awards 2023 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:15
Chicago Cider Week, Cider Tours, Interviews, Awards and Cider Summit The week of January 30th - February 4th was packed with cider related events all based in Chicago. CiderCon, the annual conference hosted by the Americ…
354: Preserving Historical Varieties of Apples & Pears [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:23
Are Historical Apple and Pears varieties at of becoming Extinct? It appears it is not a question of if, when historical varieties are no longer with us as climate change and other mitigation factors such as land developm…
353: Apple Historian John Bunker Q&A | Maine Apple Camp [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:59
Preservation Tips from an Apple Historian John Bunker is a self identified Apple Historian and an Apple Detective, Author of numerous books on the topic of Apples and Founder of FEDCO Trees. In the previous podcast episo…
352: Apples in Gravel? Maine Heritage Orchard | Part 1 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:09
John Bunker on Maine Heritage Orchard: Successes and Challenges over the First Ten Years This is Part 1 with John Bunker, who is both an author, Founder of FEDCO Trees, an Apple Historian and a key person behind the Main…
351: Cidermakers' Roundtable | Maine Apple Camp [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:53
Enjoy this Roundtable Discussion w/4 makers from Maine Kris Hogg formally of Perennial Cider Bar in Maine moderates this panel discussion that was held at the Maine Apple Camp in August of 2022. The topics are wide rangi…
350th Episode Celebration at Cider Chat [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:22
Season 7 and the Episodes of Cider Chat This episode marks the 350th episode of this weekly podcast and the end of Season 7. The Nose and Ria sat down for a dinner chat and looked over the past season. The dinner was des…
349: Super Power of Bradford Pear with Eliza Greenman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:05:02
Any relation to the Greenman's of Mystic, Connecticut? When fruit explorer and horticultural historian Eliza Greenman received a call from owners of an overgrown orchard asking if she was related to the Greenman's who pl…