- A famous cooking apple--sometimes called "Northern Pie"--this heirloom is also great for eating and is still enjoyed across the Northeast.
- The American Chemical Society found that Northern Spy (and two other varieties) have the most antioxidents of any variety of apple.
- Many sources repeat, without attribution, the story that Northern Spy was found in an orchard in East Bloomfield, New York; some of these provide further information. The basis for this history may be an 1847 letter from Oliver Chapin, who wrote:
The first Northern Spy apple trees were raised from seeds brought from the Northwest part of Connecticut, about the year 1800, by Elijah Taylor. The original tree was set in an orchard by Heman Chapin, and some sprouts were taken from it by Roswell Humphrey, and by him the fruit was first raised...as the original tree died before bearing.
(info above via)
Well, it just so happens this marker stands in the yard where my friend Kara grew up (down the road from where I grew up):
...and it also just so happens that in more recent history (but still a handful of decades back) my Grandpa Torpey helped to repair this marker, so that future generations will continue to find this place
and that's my dad :)
3 pages from "The fruits of America: containing full descriptions of all the choicest varieties cultivated in the United States" by Charles Mason Hovey, published in 1852 (found via Google digital books) (click each to enlarge) -
