The apple tree growing on the patio near the Livermore Pavilion has been here since before anyone can recall, providing shade in the summer and a crop of fruit in the autumn. In the past several years, the harvest has very meager, and the tree itself seemed to be struggling. After a vigorous pruning with help from our friends at the Merritt Pruning Guild in spring of 2019, though, the tree is flourishing once again and produced the largest crop of apples we’ve seen in years and years. The variety remains a mystery (we’ve considered dubbing it the “Livermore Crisp” in honor of one of MAGC’s founders), but the fruit is as crunchy and tasty as you could hope for. While we picked and gave aw
ay plenty of apples, there were many more that took a few knocks on the way down, and rather than letting these go to waste, we decided to
make cider. Using a vintage press borrowed from Ross Historical Society Board member Tom Gaffney, we enlisted the help of the Garden School students to juice pounds of apples. Each child took a turn cranking the handle to crush the fruit, or screwing down the press to squeeze out every last drop. We were all surprised by how much juice we got, and it was every bit as delicious as the apples. Thanks to everyone who pitched in to pick, press, and taste the delicious results.
