As she worked on slicing up a bag of Mutsu apples, farmers’ market manager Marcia Veldman said she expected a turnout comparable to last year’s to partake in the tasting. As the minutes rolled by after 10 a.m., more and more people joined the line to spoon bits of apples onto plates and into hands and mouths.
“I love seeing people come out and take the time to try new varieties of produce,” she said.
She said her favorite is a hard, tart, late-season apple: the Arkansas Black.
The approximately 600 apples came from four Bloomington orchards.
Red-vested volunteers hurriedly dove into clear plastic bags of the fruit, chopping them up with gloved hands to keep their fingers warm and nimble. The pieces of apple were set out on plates with cards displaying names like Crimson Crisp, Empire and Early Blaze.
Katie Lay, one of the event’s organizers, said the wind caused a challenge for setup. Duct tape wasn’t enough for all of the signs, but as the morning went on, operations under the tent went smoother. She said she wasn’t sure what the turnout would be because of the cold, but farmers’ market goers donned hats and gloves, grabbed steaming coffee cups and got in line for the tasting anyway.
Seth Lehman, 21, stood behind one of Olde Lane Orchard’s two booths. His stand was overflowing with eight varieties of apples, many of which were being tasted less than 50 yards away. He said he had noticed a trickle effect happening: people were meandering to his table after getting a taste of Olde Lane apples.
“They just leave the tent and walk on over here,” he said.
His parents have owned Olde Lane, which sits on 16 acres in Daviess County, for 14 years now. But Lehman has been the one spending Saturday mornings in charge of a farmers’ market booth for more than half his life.
“I’ve been running my own stand here since I was 9,” he said. “I just love the community here ... I grew up working at the market.”
Although they come to market regularly, sophomore IU students Amy Yang and Carmen Hu said it was their first time at the apple tastings.
“I didn’t know there were so many apples,” Hu said.
Both agreed they liked the Candy Crisp apple from Old Lane Orchard the best.
“It has a green skin to it, so you think it’s going to be sour, but actually it’s really sweet,” Yang said. “I’m always going for Fuji, and then I realized today that maybe that’s not my favorite apple anymore.”
