Sometimes a visit to a local farmstand leads to an unexpected find. Such was the case when this reporter stopped by Doe Orchards earlier this week and bought a bag of Duchess of Oldenburg apples. The cashier told me they came from the orchard’s single tree of that variety, grafted from cuttings given to them by Harvard resident Libby Levison. Levison told the Press the cuttings came from a very old tree in Shaker Village that came down in the winter of 2010. She said it may have been planted by the Shakers, and she took cuttings “to keep that local history alive.”
The apple’s history doesn’t stop there. It originated in Russia in the 18th century and was named for the Grand Duchess Catherine of Oldenburg, sister to Czar Alexander. It was imported to the U.S. in 1835 by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, and its ability to survive the harsh Russian winters made it a popular variety in northern New England and Canada. It’s a tart apple, and it breaks down easily into a zesty applesauce. But the best thing about a Duchess of Oldenburg apple is the feeling that you’ve just connected with a very interesting cast of historical characters when you bite into it.
www.carlsonorchards.com
Pick-your-own McIntosh, Cortland, Ginger Gold, Gala, Golden Delicious, Northern Spy, and Honeycrisp apples (check Facebook daily for other varieties); cut-your-own sunflowers and zinnias. Available in the store are peaches and nectarines; McIntosh, Cortland, Ginger Gold, Gala, Gravenstein, and Honeycrisp apples; cut flowers; locally grown corn and other vegetables, as well as pumpkins and chrysanthemums.
Store is open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily; pick-your-own is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
www.doeorchards.com
Pick-your-own Honeycrisp, McIntosh, Golden Supreme, Cortland, Ruby Mac, and possibly Fuji apples. All of the pick-your-own apple varieties are available on the stand, along with pumpkins and cider. Peaches are gone for the season.
Stand and pick-your-own hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
www.goodspiritsfarm.com
At the self-service farmstand this week: Organically grown raspberries, blackberries, zucchini, pattypan and crookneck squash, kale, collards, heirloom tomatoes, green beans, and butternut and honeynut squash. Also available at the stand are the farm’s own honey, berry jams (including raspberry, peach, blueberry, and blackberry), dahlia bouquets, lavender hand cream, and eggs from Harvard’s Goose and Hen farm and Chip-In Farm in Bedford.
Stand is open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
www.oldfrogpondfarm.com
Pick-your-own organic apples Saturdays and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Pick-your-own raspberries Wednesdays through Sundays, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. At the self-service farmstand on the porch: certified organic fruit and vegetables, including bagged apples, fresh-pressed unpasteurized apple cider, cherry tomatoes, garlic, lettuce, basil, an assortment of jams made with their own fruit, and their own herbal teas, nettle salt, and calendula oil.
Stand is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.
www.westwardorchards.com
Pick-your-own McIntosh, Cortland, and Macoun apples. Pick-your-own pumpkins with wagon rides to the pumpkin patch start this weekend. Available in the store: Westward’s McIntosh, Cortland, Macoun, Honeycrisp, Gala, and Ginger Gold apples, mixed varieties of pears, yellow and white peaches, nectarines, mixed plums, watermelons, cantaloupes, regular, heirloom, and cherry tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, cauliflower, corn, kale, broccoli, carrots, eggplant, summer squash, zucchini, peppers, beets, collard greens, cabbage, leeks, potatoes, shallots, and mixed herbs. Pumpkins, gourds, and corn stalks are also available.
Store is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; pick-your-own apples from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily; pick-your-own pumpkins on weekends only, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
—Compiled by Joan Eliyesil