Things are about to get a whole lot crispier at Carter Hill Orchard in Concord. Ludicrously crispy, in fact.
On Wednesday, Carter Hill owner Todd Larocque and worker Landon Woodward were planting rows of a new apple tree called Ludacrisp. When mature, the trees will produce a rich red apple with a crisp juicy flesh that growers say is reminiscent of Juicy Fruit chewing gum.
Ludacrisp originated from the Midwest Apple Improvement Association, the same breeding group that created the EverCrisp apple, which is a cross between the Honeycrisp and Fuji varieties of fruit. The EverCrisp has been available a little longer than Ludacrisp, and Carter Hill has been planting some of those trees too on a 3-acre parcel to give the pick-your-own crowd a few new varieties to choose from.
“We tore out some old trees from last fall and replanted for this year,” Larocque said.
Despite COVID, the orchard said sales last fall were strong.
“Everyone out looking for something to do,” Larocque said. “It helped us out a lot. I think it helped all the farms a lot, not just us.”
Customers eager to take a bite of this new apple with a silly-sounding name will have to be patient. The trees won’t bear good fruit for at least another four years.
The orchard will reopen this summer for berry picking, followed by peaches in late summer and apples in the fall.