Last fall, one of Susan Ada's friends told us about an apple cider-making demonstration nearby. Naturally we went and checked it out. . .and we met a man named Tom Burford. He is 76 years old, grew up in a neighboring county, and now travels the world helping restore and plant heirloom apple trees. He has worked with Michael Pollan, Monticello, and UVA to name a few. He is a very knowledgeable man who is passionate about sharing his vast experience with apples. Yesterday, he held a workshop in Lynchburg to teach folks how to graft trees. So, of course, we went. We really enjoyed listening to Tom and learned about a lot of heirloom apple varieties. Then we each got to choose 2 trees to graft ourselves. Being the manly man that he is, Curt was a natural. He was slicing trees and sticking them together like a pro in a matter of minutes. Susan Ada, on the other hand, is not quite so gifted. . .
Turns out, it works better if you graft the tree and not your finger. Thankfully, it only took her 7 stitches to figure that out. Here are our 4 grafts that Curt made! Pumpkin Pound Sweet, Maiden Blush, Cox's Orange Pippen, and Virginia Hewes Crab:
A little pout. . .she made it 29 years with no stitches and isn't really excited about starting now. Stitches are for pretty fabric, not people!
Nevertheless, we had a great time and are very hopeful that we will have 4 baby trees in just a few weeks!! PS - Don't tell Steve! Some of these trees are a surprise birthday gift. . .
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