November 26, 2003
Antique apples fruit of farm labor
Kilchermans share saga of growing rare and by-gone varieties of apples
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Maiden's Blush . . . Seek No Further . . . Opalescent . . . Lady Apple
Sharing his nearly 30-year odyssey into the world of antique apples, John Kilcherman spoke of his passion for the fruit Thursday evening at the Grand Traverse Heritage Center. A third-generation Northport farmer, Kilcherman and his wife, Phyllis, run the Christmas Cove Farm and do a brisk business in the fruit of a bygone era.
But it is more than a business to Kilcherman, these apples are akin to his children.
"They are like my adopted children," he said of his trees, lovingly sought after, purchased, planted and cultivated. "Apples are a fundamental crop and it is just a fascinating fruit, the most variable and widely planted in the world."
"It's got so many different variations, there ain't no other fruit like it," he added. "People ask me if they can buy the trees from me, but I'm just a surrogate mother or dad and I raised them and they are my adopted children."
That apples come in hundreds of varieties might be news to many who are a few generations removed from farm life. Modern consumers usually encounter three or four varieties of apples in most grocery stores. These apples that are available year round and of relatively uniform size, shape and color.
Gone is the long-awaited anticipation of the fresh-picked, juice-filled crunch of an apple as autumn crisps the air. Kilcherman and his wife are determined to bring back a slice of that feeling.
"It's great, I like to see these cultural traditions carried on and we're losing them," said Tom Mountz of Honor after Thursday's program. "I like to tell my children about them."
Winter Banana_Salt Shaker_Bread and Cheese _Sheepnose
Kilcherman clearly remembers the days when every farm had a few apple trees, often with different ripening times and uses: some for pies, some for cider and some for eating. Adaptable apples were a must on these small farms, their hardiness extending the harvest season into late fall.
And each variety has a different character, he noted, and different memories.
"Apples mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people," he said. "Sometimes they've gotten married under a certain variety, I don't know, it's just a nostalgic thing to remember."
Since a 1975 experiment with ten antique apple trees, Kilcherman's odyssey has grown to include more than 150 varieties on one acre. He also grows 15 acres of commercial apples, mostly Ida Reds and Northern Spy varieties.
Kilcherman has an extensive library filled with old books and journals, many out of print, on apples. He also has built up a network of contacts around the country to find or share additional varieties. In 1996, the Historical Society of Michigan recognized his efforts and devotion to preserving antique apples.
"I was the pioneer when I started, it was hard to get these kinds of trees," he noted. "But on account of me and a few other people, the taste of other varieties have gotten out there and we've opened up the field to other people."
Kandil Sinap_Calville Blanc_English Golden Russet
The variety of flavors, colors, textures and sizes of antique apples can't be beat, he said, and since 1990, he and his wife have been selling gift boxes filled with their orchard's riches. They ship them all over the country and world now, spreading the word about this underappreciated fruit.
"After we got producing we had to do something with them," Kilcherman recalled, adding they used to fill the gift boxes with air-popped popcorn to cushion the apples. "Making the popcorn was more trouble than the apples."