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
458: Sodo Sidriné and the Rise of Lithuanian Craft Cider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:08
Donatas Genys didn't set out to launch Lithuania's first keeved cider. But after trips to England and Normandy, years of experimentation, and the planting of over 6,000 cider apple trees, that's exactly what he's doing.…
457: Snow Capped Cider: A Family Legacy at 7,000 Feet | CO [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:08
At the base of Colorado's Grand Mesa, the world's largest flat-top mountain, five generations of fruit growers have worked the land. Today, Snow Capped Cider carries on that legacy, crafting estate-grown ciders from frui…
456: From Oregon to Norway: Abram Goldman-Armstrong's Cider Journey [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:19
This episode of Cider Chat, was recorded in person with Abram Goldman-Armstrong at CiderCon2025 in Chicago. Hear his journey to cider. From growing up in Oregon's Yamhill County to his current work in Norway's Hardanger…
455: Zero Percent Sh*t  | John Edwards Returns [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:50
John Edwards, longtime cider maker and integral team member at Ross on Wye Cider & Perry Co., and the creative force behind his personal label Fly be Night Cider was last on the podcast in 2019. John Edwards In this Cide…
454: Wild Ferment Meets Fine Cider: Inside Oliver's Barrel Room [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:02:43
Rainy Days Goes Best with Dry Cider in the Barrel Room Walking into the barrel room at Oliver's Cider and Perry Company, you might think you know what to expect. But surrounded by whitewashed stone walls, standing beneat…
453: Homage to Perry Legends by Tom Oliver at AppleFest | UK [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:38
Celebrating Perry's Past, Present, and Future Tom Oliver began his keynote by saying, "At this year's Applefest Banquet, I had the honor of lifting a glass to the people behind the pear—specifically Perry. It wasn't just…
452: Mac to Redfield: Four Phantoms Brewery Embraces Cider | MA [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:18
Drew Phillips opened the doors of Four Phantoms in Greenfield, Massachusetts in 2021. He began his fermentation career in the Pacific Northwest, and while waiting to open his own brewery, he took on the role as cider mak…
451: Hello Season 10 and The Berkshire Roundtable [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:32
In this Season 10 premier of Cider Chat, "Introductions" are featured from over 40 persons in attendance at the annual 2025 Berkshire Roundtable. Kicking off Season 10 of Cider Chat The opportunity to begin Season 10 wit…
450th Roger Wilkins - The Cider King [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 52:01
Looking back at Season 9 and Forward with Roger Wilkins In this season ending episode we visit Roger Wilkins at his Lands End Farm. Cider King – Roger Wilkins Roger Wilkins, is known globally as the "Cider King," and is…
449: Exploring Hereford's Museum of Cider with Elizabeth Pimblett [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:05
The Role of the Museum of Cider Elizabeth Pimblett's background and her journey to the museum The history of the museum, founded in 1887 by the Bulmer brothers The significance of the building and its historic cider cell…