FERRISBURGH — Rokeby Museum in Ferrisburgh will celebrate its apple heritage with author Rowan Jacobsen onSunday, Oct. 11, at 3 p.m. Jacobsen, a nationally known food writer, will talk about the 123 varieties he profiled in his new book,“Apples of Uncommon Character”— many of which once grew at Rokeby. A selection of apples will be available for tasting, too.
Rowland T. Robinson planted a significant orchard at Rokeby in 1849 — more than 400 trees and 75 varieties. He kept a row-by-row, tree-by-tree record of that planting so that people today can see just what an investment he made. (That account book is on display in the house through the end of the season.)
American orchards once boasted 16,000 different varieties of apples; today only a few are sold in most grocery stores. But that is slowly changing, and Jacobsen’s book introduces 123 of the most colorful, tasty, exotic and downright strange apples.
Books will be available for sale and signing. The program is $5 or free with museum admission.
Rokeby Museum is a National Historic Landmark that connects visitors with the human experience of the Underground Railroad and with the lives of the Robinson family who lived on and farmed the land for nearly 200 years.