Apple Forager Says There Are No Bad Apples
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Matt Kaminsky is an apple forager. Also known as Gnarly Pippins, he searches the New England countryside for new varieties. His specialty is finding seedlings growing up wild and finding ways to use them. His book, “The Wild Apple Forager’s Guide,” teaches how to scout for, identify, harvest, and process wild apples.
“It’s an introduction to wild apples,” says Kaminsky. “There’s a use for just about any apple, even those that don’t taste good. Any fault assigned to an apple is only a fault because no one has identified its benefit.”
For the past 4 years, he’s hosted an Annual Wild and Seedling Pomological Exhibition. In 2022, there were 70 new apple and pear varieties entered. In 2023, the exhibition included displays and tastings of more than 120 varieties from around the country.
Kaminsky and photographer William Mullan documented the apples and pears in their Pomological Series Volume 2 and 3.
Pippin sells nursery stock (19 varieties) and scion wood (15 varieties of apples and one of pear) from trees he has found. His catalog is full of unusual names with descriptions of where the mother tree was found and its characteristics. An increasing number from his collection are also available through other outlets like FEDCO trees. Uses for his apples include cider, fresh eating, long keeping, baking, wildlife, and more.
“All the varieties on my website are those I have discovered as wild seedlings,” says Kaminsky. “My favorites are Old Fertile, Ed’s Winter, and Nailbiter.”
Ed’s Winter was an exceptionally healthy tree discovered in a New Hampshire hayfield. It produces heavy crops of apples. The taste is “‘bittersharp’ with strong notes of key lime and a nice tannic background.” Kaminsky notes that the fruit is extremely pleasant to eat and stores for several months without refrigeration.
Old Fertile, found in a drainage ditch in Vermont, produces yellow, honey-sweet apples deemed suitable for cidermaking and long-keeping.
Nailbiter was found near a stand of white pine and aspen. Kaminsky describes the fruit as “firm bittersharp flesh.” It’s already winning awards as a cider apple.
Kaminsky describes wild seedlings as “real” apples. “The apples you find in a grocery store are a disconnect from what real apples are,” he says. “Anytime a tree grows from a seed and survives, it’s doing something without any intervention by man.”
He collects scion wood from seedling trees and grafts it to rootstock. While he grows some rootstock from seeds, a favorite is Budagovsky 118, an old rootstock. It’s very disease tolerant, drought resistant, and brings grafts into production quicker than other rootstocks.
Once grafted with rootstock planted in air-pruning beds, intervention is limited. None of his trees are sprayed.
Sometimes being removed to an orchard setting produces an apple with different characteristics from the mother tree. Grafts of Old Fertile produce apples larger than the mother tree and higher in Brix values (sweetness).
Kaminsky prices his dormant and bare-root nursery stock at $34 for Grade A stems. Scion wood is priced at $5 to $6 per stick or in bundles.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gnarly Pippins, (ph 860-230-1236; www.gnarlypippins.com).
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Apple Forager Says There Are No Bad Apples CROPS Miscellaneous Matt Kaminsky is an apple forager Also known as Gnarly Pippins he searches the New England countryside for new varieties His specialty is finding seedlings growing up wild and finding ways to use them His book “The Wild Apple Forager’s Guide ” teaches how to scout for identify harvest and process wild apples “It’s an introduction to wild apples ” says Kaminsky “There’s a use for just about any apple even those that don’t taste good Any fault assigned to an apple is only a fault because no one has identified its benefit ” For the past 4 years he’s hosted an Annual Wild and Seedling Pomological Exhibition In 2022 there were 70 new apple and pear varieties entered In 2023 the exhibition included displays and tastings of more than 120 varieties from around the country Kaminsky and photographer William Mullan documented the apples and pears in their Pomological Series Volume 2 and 3 Pippin sells nursery stock 19 varieties and scion wood 15 varieties of apples and one of pear from trees he has found His catalog is full of unusual names with descriptions of where the mother tree was found and its characteristics An increasing number from his collection are also available through other outlets like FEDCO trees Uses for his apples include cider fresh eating long keeping baking wildlife and more “All the varieties on my website are those I have discovered as wild seedlings ” says Kaminsky “My favorites are Old Fertile Ed’s Winter and Nailbiter ” Ed’s Winter was an exceptionally healthy tree discovered in a New Hampshire hayfield It produces heavy crops of apples The taste is “‘bittersharp’ with strong notes of key lime and a nice tannic background ” Kaminsky notes that the fruit is extremely pleasant to eat and stores for several months without refrigeration Old Fertile found in a drainage ditch in Vermont produces yellow honey-sweet apples deemed suitable for cidermaking and long-keeping Nailbiter was found near a stand of white pine and aspen Kaminsky describes the fruit as “firm bittersharp flesh ” It’s already winning awards as a cider apple Kaminsky describes wild seedlings as “real” apples “The apples you find in a grocery store are a disconnect from what real apples are ” he says “Anytime a tree grows from a seed and survives it’s doing something without any intervention by man ” He collects scion wood from seedling trees and grafts it to rootstock While he grows some rootstock from seeds a favorite is Budagovsky 118 an old rootstock It’s very disease tolerant drought resistant and brings grafts into production quicker than other rootstocks Once grafted with rootstock planted in air-pruning beds intervention is limited None of his trees are sprayed Sometimes being removed to an orchard setting produces an apple with different characteristics from the mother tree Grafts of Old Fertile produce apples larger than the mother tree and higher in Brix values sweetness Kaminsky prices his dormant and bare-root nursery stock at $34 for Grade A stems Scion wood is priced at $5 to $6 per stick or in bundles Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Gnarly Pippins ph 860-230-1236; www gnarlypippins com
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