Serious question, why does every farm stand in Vermont sell the same three varieties of apples?

I drove up to the Champlain Valley last weekend and stopped at six different stands, and all of them only had Honeycrisp, McIntosh, and Empire. Is it just a regional thing, or are the other varieties going extinct?

3 comments

3 Comments

nancyj111mo ago

My neighbor's great-uncle grew twenty varieties on his farm until 1998.

stellaperry1mo ago

So wait, @nancyj11, I gotta ask - are we talking about actual heirloom varieties from back then or like, just different labels on the same basic stuff? Because in my experience, a lot of those "varieties" before the early 2000s were just the same old thing with a different fancy name slapped on by the seed catalog. Twenty is a lot to keep track of unless you're really dedicated, and most folks back then were growing what sold, not what was rare. Your mileage may vary of course, but I'd wanna see his seed packets before getting too impressed.

sandra_bennett591mo ago

You really gotta ask the farmers directly what else they've got... most of them keep a few other types in the back for locals who ask. Hit up a U-pick orchard instead, they usually have a dozen or more varieties if you're willing to climb a ladder for 'em.