Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/555185
243 a pristine agricultural landscape of 107 acres, offers several apple orchards and more than 40 varieties of apples. Macoun, McIntosh, and Cortland apples are just a few types they grow. Owner Michael Smolak planted 20 different kinds of antique apples to help preserve some of these special varieties: Chenango Strawberry, Sops of Wine, Cox Or- ange Pippen, Sheepnose, and Yellow Newton number among the histori- cal varieties he tends to on the farm. Smolak Farms lets you bag just- picked apples during the season. Russell Orchards in Ipswich has had a long history as a working farm. In 1920, Dr. Joseph Goodale planted the first trees as a pastime for his son. In the 1950s, the farm was sold to the farm manager, Ken- neth Macleod, who operated a popu- lar cider mill on the property—the building can still be seen from the road today. When Macleod retired, a group of neighbors purchased the land to ensure it would stay a work- Above and left, Smolak Farms is the ideal place to pick up a bag of apples for all your baking endeavors. ing farm. The citizens asked the Essex County Greenbelt Association to write an agricultural preserva- tion restriction that would legally prevent the land from being turned into a development. The Russell family purchased the farm in 2000 and has been growing apples ever since—about 30 varieties, which are harvested from early August through late October. Some favorites are Fuji, Gala, and Ginger Gold. So what do you do with all of those apples? Here's a sampling of classes on offer to help you be crea- tive with your harvest. One option is to head to Salem's Far From the Tree, which will be hosting cider-making classes on photographs by Sarah Jordan McCaffery