To Pick or Let Fall
Thursday, February 5 — 2:00 – 3:15 PM
Should you pick apples from the tree, or let them drop to the ground? This long-standing debate between cidermakers and orchardists will be put to the test in a collaborative experiment from Pleasant Valley Cider Apples and 2 Towns Ciderhouse. The session will also feature findings from a 3-year USDA ground harvesting grant in an Indiana orchard, offering valuable insights into safety, efficiency, and fruit utilization. Finally, participants will learn how using windfalls can expand supply of high-value juice, boost revenue, and reduce waste while maintaining flexibility for non-alcoholic cider and fresh fruit markets.
Speakers: Clay Slaughter, Ashley Lindsay
Scion Exchange/Orchard Networking
Date & Time: Thursday, February 5, 9:00 – 10:00 AM
Join us Friday morning for an informal gathering of orchardists from around the country. You can swap scions with fellow orchardists, share your growing experiences, and expand your network. Whether you’re a new orchardist or been growing apples for years, this is a great chance to mingle and meet other growers.
History of Apple Culture in the US
Date & Time: Wednesday, February 4 — 3:45 – 5:00 PM
This lecture explores the history of apple culture in the United States, drawing on historical texts to trace the early development of both apple growing and cider production. It examines four distinct stages of apple cultivation, highlighting the forces that shaped the rise and eventual decline of apple diversity that once characterized the American agricultural landscape.
Speakers: Gidon Coll
Apple Genetics in the 21st Century
Wednesday, February 4 — 2:00 – 3:15 PM
Growers, collectors and historians have been attempting to identify apples for as long as there have been grafters and grafting. For most of that time, apple identification has been done phenotypically using a combination of historical research and physical observation. In recent years DNA profiling has become an important addition to the identifiers toolbox. “Fauxwhelp”, “Faux Tremlett’s” and Michelin, are a few of the identification challenges facing cider makers in recent years. Our panelists from the The Historic Fruit Tree Working Group will illuminate all aspects of apple identification in the 21st century.
Speakers: John Bunker, Todd Little-Siebold, Skylar Bodeo-Lomicky, Jamie Hanson
Cider Apples of the Future
Wedesday, February 3 — 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM
For the past thirty years, the cider industry has relied almost exclusively on American dessert and European cider cultivars for their juice. In recent years, however, cider makers, fruit explorers and orchardists have been searching for, breeding, selecting, naming and propagating the American cider apples of the future. Join our panel of experts as we look at the exciting potential for a new North American cider “Pomona.”
Speakers: John Bunker, Matt Kaminsky, Steve Van Nocker