Last Friday, I went to the Cornell Orchards. I set out on foot from Central Campus and characteristic of me, ended up getting lost along the way. Heading in the opposite direction of the Orchards, I circled back and ran into a fellow Rose Scholar and close friend who was also somewhat lost, though not quite as lost as me. In hindsight, the Orchards are not very far from Campus. I had gone many years ago with my family and as my friend and I approached the Orchards, everything started to look more familiar.

Once a majority of attendees arrived at the Orchards, we started on our guided tour. We saw a number of apple varieties, some of which were not yet named and just five years old or so. As we walked through the bright rows of trees, our tour guide answered questions about the Orchards and apples in general. One of the most interesting facts that I learned was that planting an apple seed will not result in the same variety of apple as the original fruit because virtually every variety is a hybrid of two other varieties. For instance, the Empire is a combination of Red Delicious and McIntosh. I was curious about climate effects on the apple trees over the past couple of years to which our tour guide answered that there is an irrigation system in place. This past year, the Cornell Orchards received enough rain water, but there are many other places, such as on the West Coast that are facing drought and water issues. Along the way, we got to taste the Snap Dragon – a Cornell-developed variety and got a glimpse at the organic varieties grown at the Orchards. It was really awesome to see the cider press and the stored apples that we will soon be drinking in a matter of days!

Much of what I learned that day reminded me of what Professor Stanley, professor of HADM 4300 Wines, talked about at the Becker-Rose Café Series last year and in her class. It is this idea that principles from every college at Cornell can be applied to the wine-making process, or in this case the apple growing process. (In case you did not know, grapes are grown at the Cornell Orchards, too!) There is the agricultural component, the business component, the policy component, the engineering of machinery component – to name a few. Like many sites on and off campus, the Orchards encompasses all that is Cornell. There is history, as well as, innovation present. I highly recommend that everyone make a trip to the Orchards. Now that we are in the fall season, it would be the perfect time to go! I know that I will be returning. One goal will be to not get lost on my next trip there. But if I do, hopefully I will run into a fellow Scholar to help me find the way!