Saturday, September 7, 2013

Antique Apples

Last September, on a sunny autumn day,
I was driving through the mountains of West Virginia,
when I noticed a vintage red pick-up with its bed 
filled to the brim with red apples.
It was a beautiful  image.

I thought of that this morning 
as I came upon a notice for 
the Heritage Harvest Fall Festival at Monticello 
taking place today in Albemarle County, Virginia.


The place I grew up once had an old apple and peach orchard,
and within ten miles, there were many larger orchards
that sold Red or Yellow Delicious, Macintosh, and Winesap apple varieties.
But none of those apples compared to 
the antique apples I tasted from an orchard in New Bern, Wisconsin.
I had bought a sampling of different Vintage apples,
including a variety grown by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello.
It's been years, but I still remember the small gold apples
and how crisp, juicy, and sweet they were.
If you've never had an antique apple, believe me, you've never had a real apple.


This fall, I hope if I get anything done at all,
it is to find somewhere in Virginia where I can buy vintage apples.
If anyone knows, leave a comment!
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