Saving Heritage Apples on MDI

The Bar Harbor Garden Club is pleased to present “Saving Heritage Apples on MDI” with Todd Little-Siebold, Professor of History, College of the Atlantic, on April 13, 2023, at 1:00 pm at Birch Bay Retirement Village, 25 Village Inn Road, Bar Harbor.

Photo courtesy of Todd Little-Siebold.

Over the last 14 years, Todd Little-Siebold, has been on a mission to re-discover abandoned apple orchards in Maine and to propagate apple varieties long absent from the state’s agricultural records and food supply. With the help from COA students, and his research team, Todd has been cloning heirloom apples through the process of grafting to save these heritage varieties and bring them back for our eating pleasure.

Tracking down old apples is like a treasure hunt. They tell a story about our Maine history through examples of the loss of agriculture and what could happen in the future. It requires a lot of detective work, researching and talking with the community. Many of Little-Siebold’s best resources are senior residents who know about old farms or orchards in the area. Hunters also provide great leads, as they know the locations of old orchards in the woods, where deer and grouse gather to feed. Todd’s explorations often lead him to trees some of which are over 200 years old and 11-1/2 feet in circumference.

Todd received his B.A. and M.A from the University of Massachusetts and his Ph.D. in Latin American History from Tulane university in 1995. Todd Little-Siebold is professor of history and Latin American studies and has been at the College of the Atlantic since 1997. One of his most popular courses at COA, “The History of Agriculture: Apples” is from the vantage point of Downeast Maine and covers cider-making, both sweet and hard, as well as exercises in the preparation, storage and processing of apples. When he is not teaching Todd is an obsessive fly fisherman and an avid woodworker. He and his wife are currently undertaking the never-ending renovation of a 1770 house in Ellsworth.

The talk will begin at 1:00 PM for 1-hour including ample time for questions. The speaker will be followed by a Bar Harbor Garden Club business meeting and light refreshments. All are welcome to join the speaker presentation and Club meeting.

The talk will begin at 1:00 pm for 1-hour including ample time for questions. The speaker will be followed by a Bar Harbor Garden Club business meeting and light refreshments. All are welcome to join the speaker presentation and Club meeting.

This presentation is one of the monthly programs offered by the Bar Harbor Garden Club to the public. We do ask club members and guests to make a reservation by emailing Jane Sanderson, president@barharborgardenclub.org or calling 207-460-8496. Please register early, as there is a limited capacity of forty for the in-person meeting at Birch Bay Village due to Covid-19 protocols.