Like something with a little heft? Then go for the Wolf River, which can weigh up to a pound and a half each. When Watson recently got his hands on one, he gave it to his local general store. “Everybody commented on it,” he says. “Customers were snapping pictures of their babies next to it.”
Old-time Mainers know all about the Black Oxford, a native variety that ripens in mid- to late October. It stores well and offers the right sugar/acid balance, giving it both sweet and tart flavors for great off-the-tree eating.
The Rhode Island Greening is a dessert and baking favorite that was adored so much by Providence founder Roger Williams that he was reportedly buried beneath an apple tree. “Great texture, nice flavor,” Watson says. “One of the best pie apples. It kicks Granny Smith’s butt.”
If you want something different, ask for it–and your local orchard is a great place to start. Two of Watson’s favorite New Hampshire orchards: Alyson’s in Walpole and Gould Hill in Contoocook. “[An orchardist] may know where to go,” Watson says, “or they may have one or two trees themselves. They just haven’t put them […]
Ben Watson’s apple world is bigger than most–and he thinks everyone should have the chance to experience it. “We have these apples that are sweet and crisp, but they don’t taste like anything,” he says of common grocery-store types. Some 14,000-16,000 named varieties have originated in the U.S.–several hundred in New England alone. They’re diverse […]
Beets are both delicious and nutritious. Try these recipes or visit our recipes page for more ways to prepare beets.
At a recent farm-to-table dinner at the Gibbet Hill Grill in Groton, Massachusetts, I found myself in deep conversation about beets with Bill Adler. He’s a bigwig in the hip-hop music world and an encyclopedia of information on myriad subjects. He’s also a beet fanatic. His wife, Sara Moulton, a celebrity chef, isn’t. “There was […]
