Apple 1.0

Ardress started life as a simple farmhouse in the early 1600s, but was upgraded with a new facade (note the wings on either side of the chimneys) in the early 1800s. Here’s an internet photo:

We took a tour of the apple orchards. Ardress is in County Armagh, which is famous for its apples. The tour guide said there are only 5,000 acres of apples in Armagh now, down from 18,000 acres 100 years ago. The main apple grown is the Bramley, which is a bit sour and not well loved outside of the U.K. They’ve started switching to cider apples--a good idea given the growing popularity of cider. I know I’m doing my part to boost consumption.

That entire hill is covered in apple trees that are just about to blossom. These guys were in the field next door:

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