Apple tasting

My daughters and I crashed our first apple tasting a few weeks ago.

We were wandering around Indian Ladder Farms feeding sheep and drinking cider when we happened across a great spread of cut up fruit just outside the apple barn. There were delicate slices of several varieties of apples along with labels so you knew what you were eating and crowd of people. Can you blame us for thinking this was a public event?

The girls headed right in with their fearless munch-first-ask-questions-later attitude toward life. I at least paused for a quick smile to the lady behind the table before reaching in.

It was somewhere between the smile and my first grubby fist full of apples that I realized something might be amiss. The crowd, which now that I looked more closely was really just four people who seemed like they knew each other, was staring at my daughters with tight, indulgent smiles. The lady behind the table returned my smile with a gaze of confusion.

Was this not an apple tasting? I asked, somewhat belatedly.

It turns out that the "crowd" was really a group of friends from Australia who were trying to decide what kind of apples to buy. They were only going to buy one quart of apples, but I guess when you come all the way from Australia, you want the right ones. Indian Ladder carries everything from the sweet and loosely crunchy Macs to tart, baking apples that practically snap when you bite into them. There are Galas and Jonamacs, Ginger Golds, Mutsus and Honey Crisps.

When they discovered that there were no tasting platters, the Australians took things into their own hands. They bought one of each variety, pulled out a pocketknife and set up their own tasting complete with labels so they wouldn't get confused. All was proceeding nicely for them until a pair of whirling 4-year-olds showed up and started shoving their cheeks full of apple slices.

After a series of profuse apologies (from us) and a few good laughs (from them), the travelers asked us to join them. The universal favorite? Honey Crisps, hands down.

Here is Keran Smith with her apples.