On Saturday morning (3/18), I visited my friend Maddy’s family apple farm in North Central Massachusetts. With a population of about 1,700, Phillipston is a rather small rural town compared to Burlington’s bustling number of 44,743 people. But, this also entails that the state of the orchard is free from the detrimental effects of urban life. We spent some time walking through a few feet of snow, exploring blueberry patches and the peach tree stand before visiting the chicken coop and collecting eggs. Though fields are very clear-cut, there was a healthy mix of conifers and hardwoods as well as a small frozen pond nestled on the edge of the forests behind the farm. I did make note of birdcalls but we were unable to identify what type of birds were making them. Right across the entrance of the farm lies the vast apple orchard.
Situated at a 1250ft elevation, Red Apple Farm owns the highest elevation orchard in all of New England. The farm is also home to the oldest commercially planted McIntosh apple tree. Similar to my site in Centennial Woods, the arrival of spring means budding and flowering season for many trees. Cortland apples begin to bud and bloom at the beginning of April while McIntoshes need until about mid-May to fully flower.
