072: Lost Apples of the Quabbin | Massachusetts

072: Lost Apples of the Quabbin | Massachusetts

Author: Ria Windcaller: Award-winning Cidermaker, Podcaster | Craft Beer Columnist March 15, 2017 Duration: 54:21

Lost Apples of the Quabbin is a presentation by Al Sax and Matt Kaminsky documenting their 2016 research and quest for mapping out the apple trees in this historical reservoir region.

The Quabbin Reservoir was created to supply water to eastern Massachusetts. This construction required moving out the residents and unincorporating 4 towns Dana, Prescott, Enfiled, and Greenwich. Needless to say, this was an extreme hardship for the residents as people, homes and the entire landscape was changed to create the massive reservoir.

How big is the Quabbin Reservoir?

  • unlike what I said in the podcast (10,000 acres) it is 120,000 acres

Al and Matt are looking for unknown apple varieties that might still be left on the hillsides and mountain tops that were left untouched so many years later.

Al and Matt's main research tools"

  • Binoculars
  • Tick gators, as ticks carry an auto immune ideas call Lyme
  • An apple picker, which is a long pole with a cup at the end used to reach for fruit high up on the tree.

List of Apples that were grown at the Quabbin

  • Alexander
  • Baldwin*
  • Bellflower
  • Bethel
  • Ben Davis
  • Blue Parmain
  • Canada Red
  • Duchess
  • Fall Pippin
  • Golden Russet*
  • Gravenstein*
  • Grimes Golden
  • Jonathan*
  • McIntosh*
  • Northern Spy*
  • Porter
  • Pound Sweet
  • Red Astrachan
  • Rhode Island Greening
  • St. Lawernce
  • Seek-No-Further (Westfield S-N-F?)
  • Sheep-Nose*
  • Smoke House
  • Snow Apple
  • Spitzenburg*
  • Strawberry
  • Summer Rambo
  • Tetofsky
  • Twenty-ounce
  • Tolman Sweet
  • Tompkins King
  • Wagner
  • Wealthy*
  • Winesap*
  • Winter Banana
  • Wolf River*
  • Yellow Transparent
  • York Imperial

Identifying apple trees in the wild

  • What is its form?
  • Leaf pattern
  • Leaf color
  • Trunk ( do you see a graft line)

Identifying apples in the wild

  • Color of skin
  • Taste
  • Refractometer for testing the level of sugar in the juice

- check out Matt's Book via his website https://gnarlypippins.com/2016/11/16/what-is-gnarly-pippins/

Contact info for our Apple Explorers Al Sax and Matt Kaminsky

Al Sax

Matt Kaminsky

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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.
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