The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/tag/apples/)
The crowning irony of this phenomenon is that Cornell has our own research Orchards on campus, and we’re arguably the greatest school for agriculture in the world. How come our fruit selection is so appalling?
AppleFest, an Ithaca tradition, looked slightly different this year. Usually, the event boasts about 200 vendors with carnival games and every sort of apple-flavored treat imaginable. This year the event drastically reduced its capacity to reduce risk of COVID-19 transmission and spread. Instead of the normal massive festival, Downtown Ithaca organized an “Apple and Cider Trail” as well as a small open air market. The trail directed attendees to different participating local businesses who were selling apple themed foods, drinks and gifts.
The beloved retail destination for SnapDragon apples and Cornell-produced maple syrup closed on Friday, igniting a heated backlash from Ithaca and alumni communities.
Tompkins County’s iteration of the time-honored Upstate New York fall tradition, the Ithaca Apple Harvest Festival, will open this Friday in Downtown Ithaca at noon and continue until Sunday, Sept. 29. The three-day festival celebrates one of upstate New York’s most iconic and valuable agricultural exports — trailing only Washington in production, the state produces 30 million bushels of apples annually, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. “The idea is to help share the story and the strong, rich agriculture economy that we have in the county and the greater Finger Lakes. With apples being the prime crop in New York State, we are in the prime apple region,” Allison Graffin, marketing director of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, told the Ithaca Times.
I am the fourth generation in my family to receive and use this apple pie recipe. My great-grandmother first created the recipe and passed it down to my bubbie, who sent it to my mother when she was living in Nairobi, Kenya and wanted to show her host family what a traditional American Thanksgiving was like in 1989. Now, I possess and cherish this special recipe. Rich in history and flavor, this apple pie is sure not to disappoint.
Cornell Orchards grows more than 50 varieties of apples — from popular sellers like Honeycrisp and Gala, to specialty cider apples, to experimental varieties that are yet to be named.
From carnival games to face painting, mittens to knitted crop tops and apples to mac and cheese, Apple Fest offered fun and food for everyone there.
However, if you’re a seasoned Apple Fest veteran, and you still think it’s appropriate to go and only stand in line for the apple cider donuts and maple popcorn, you need to re-prioritize and branch out.
You’ve heard of the Apple Harvest Festival, but have you heard of Cider Week? Cider Week, Apple Fest’s lesser-known older sibling, kicked off this weekend, offering a variety of events around the Finger Lakes through October 9.
AppleFest: the festival of the season that symbolizes the arrival of Fall in Ithaca, gathering bakers, food truckers, farmers, foodies and critics alike to the festival of apple lovers.