LOCALadk Magazine

46 Fall 2020 LOCALadk Magazine LOCALadk For some who live and work in the Adirondacks fall is a fa- vorite season. The chilly mornings when temperature chang- es bring out misty clouds of fog that settle into the valleys and dance on top of mountain lakes, the colorful leaves that burst on the forest edge when the sun rises and burns off the remnants of fog, and the sounds of V-shaped flocks of geese heading south for the coming winter coincide with the con- summate food of the season: apples. There are few things that encourage a smile of satisfaction as the first bite into a fall Adirondack apple does. The crunch and snap followed by a splatter of juice and the tartness of apple goodness is something altogether unique and memorable. Henr y Thoreau once said: "Surely the apple is the noblest of fruits." Dotting the landscape of northern New York— especially in the Champlain Valley—are some of the most robust ap- ple orchards in the state. This is McIntosh countr y, in fact, Chazy Orchards is the largest McIntosh orchard in the world, with 120,000 trees planted on 1,300 acres of Adirondack real estate, but there are ample varieties in the Adirondacks, in- cluding Golden Delicious, Empire, Honey Crisp, and Macoun. Although apples are not indigenous to the area— or even to North America for that matter—the loaded trees that spread across the valley and beyond have adapted well to the some- times radical temperature shifts in the region. Apples are originally from Asia and were brought to the Americas in the 1600s, when thousands of known varieties were whittled down to the few dozen most of us can recite from memor y. Each has a unique character and preferred use, but it is the Mac that reigns supreme. Throughout the Adirondack Park the fall season brings with it the smell and taste of apples in the form of apple butter, applesauce, pies and cobblers, tarts and cider (fresh and hard), and of course, hand fruit. For a short period of about 5- 6 weeks there are orchards from Lake George to Peru, where locals and visitors can bring their families to "pick your own," bag up a dozen or so apple cider donuts while they are still warm, wrap up a fresh and flaky double-crust apple pie or one with a crumb top, load up on that magic elixir, cider, or pick up a handful of jars of apple butter for holiday gift-giving. For that brief period of time, the apple is in control of our senses. LOCAL ROOTS: Adirondack Apples By Paul Sorgule

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