{"id":201,"date":"2026-01-29T18:14:20","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T18:14:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tinytalesbytara.com\/?p=201"},"modified":"2026-01-29T18:14:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T18:14:20","slug":"an-apple-a-ladder-and-a-century-of-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tinytalesbytara.com\/?p=201","title":{"rendered":"An Apple, a Ladder, and a Century of Change"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When I picture Arthur climbing that apple tree in the Catskills, I always wonder \u2014 what kind of apple was he reaching for?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Esopus Spitzenburg, Jonathan, Northern Spy, Wagener, Golden Russet, and other antique or heritage apples are good bets for what an orchard in the Catskills in the 1920s might have had. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I imagine that not many apples on this list sound familiar today.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"apples<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Back then, apple harvests generally stretched from late August or early September for early varieties through October, and sometimes into November for later ones. Ripening times depended on the variety, local climate, elevation, and weather conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just as medicine evolved between Arthur\u2019s childhood and adulthood, apple growing in the Catskills evolved too, from practical, local, short-season fruit to today\u2019s wide selection of sweet, crisp, long-keeping apples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apple Picking in the 1920s<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Picture this: it\u2019s 1924 in the Catskills<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apple trees grew on small, family-run farms, and the entire family, including children, helped with the harvest. Boarders staying for the summer might lend a hand as well. Apple picking was hard, manual work. Immigrants were also hired to help bring in the crop, especially during and just after World War I, when many men were away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A wooden ladder was dragged over and carefully leaned against the trunk of a tree. Up the pickers climbed. Each apple was twisted or gently pulled from the branch and placed into a sack or a wooden bushel basket. Care was important. Apples bruised easily. When a sack or basket was full, the fruit was slowly dumped into a barrel waiting below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once collected, apples were sorted into grades. The best fruit was kept for eating or selling, while the rest was dried, evaporated, or made into cider or vinegar. In many ways, that part hasn\u2019t changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apples bound for nearby markets were delivered by horse and wagon, or by truck. Fruit headed farther away was taken to the train station and shipped by rail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apple Picking Today<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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images above from Drazen Orchards, Cheshire, CT<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Now we jump ahead to 2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Believe it or not, on many small local farms, hand-picking is still how apples are harvested. Instead of barrels, however, large bins are now used for collecting, washing, and sorting the fruit. Many farms also invite visitors to pick their own apples, turning harvest time into a shared experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make picking easier, modern orchards often grow trees that are shorter in stature, with rows planted more closely together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Large commercial orchards, however, rely on different techniques to reduce labor costs and speed up the harvest. These methods are easier to visualize than you might expect:<\/p>\n\n\n\n