Grown In Connecticut: Antique Apples Making A Come-Back

Rick Macsuga of the Connecticut Department of Agriculture said there are just a few more weeks of fresh leafy greens, peppers, beans, and eggplants but apples, peaches and winter squashes are coming in "at full tilt."

"This is kind of the end of the summer production, you're gonna start seeing less and less of it, even if the weather holds, the plants are getting tired,"said Macsuga of the summer crops.

But, Macsuga said he has seen an increasing varieties of apples available.

"There are tons of old antique varieties," he said of the new crop of Wolf River, golden pippen, and baldwin apples.

"The baldwin was an apple that your grandmother made pie with, you can throw it and put it through a brick wall, it is hard."

The variety was very popular for making hard cider as well, according to Macsuga. The baldwin was the apple of choice in Connecticut before the hurricane of 1938, he said, which uprooted all the baldwin apple trees, which were replaced with macintosh apple trees.

Farmers are also picking anjou, bartlett, bosc and seckle pears, which Macsuga said, are the size of a walnut and they are very sweet.

"Non-food items are the hot item right now," according to Macsuga of gourds. "You cannot eat them, they're just decorative. They were never intended to eat but perhaps used to make bowls, spoons or bird houses. Now they're just odd looking shapes and colors and just appealing to the eye."

Corn, pumpkins and all varieties of winter squash are also abundant.

What's fresh this week:

Apples

Pears

Brussels sprouts

Peppers

Tomatoes

Eggplant

Grapes

Winter squash

Potatoes

Peppers

Onions

Corn

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Cabbage

Kale

Spinach

Collard greens

Swiss Chard

Pumpkins

Gourds

Cider

Celery root

Where to find them:

Mystic Farmers’ Market is on Tuesdays from 2 to 6 p.m., at the Quiambaug Firehouse located at 50 Old Stonington Road. WIC/Senior FMNP Accepted.

Groton Farmers’ Market is on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Groton Shopping Plaza next to the Post Office on Route 1. WIC/Senior FMNP Accepted.

Westerly-Pawcatuck Farmers’ Market is on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 85 Main St., just past The Bridge restaurant in Westerly.
Stonington Farmers’ Market is on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon near the town fishing pier in the borough. WIC/Senior FMNP Accepted.

Mystic-Denison Farmers’ Market is on Sundays from noon to 3 p.m., located at 120 Pequotsepos Road across from the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center. www.denisonhomestead.org/farm‐market, WIC/Senior FMNP Accepted.