The Sweet Briar Friends of the Library will host an apple tasting presented by internationally known orchard and nursery consultant Tom Burford at 3 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26 in the Browsing Room of Cochran Library. The event is free and open to the public.

Depending on availability, some of the apple varieties Burford plans to present are the Albemarle or Newtown Pippin, Ralls, Stayman, Grimes Golden, Winesap, Black Twig, Father Abraham, Roxbury or Golden Russet, Nickajack, Northern Spy, Smokehouse and Virginia Beauty.

When it comes to apples, looks can be deceiving. The Albemarle Pippin isn’t pretty but it tastes delicious.“All of these varieties originated in America and were likely grown on the Sweet Briar Plantation in the 19th and early 20th centuries,” he wrote in an e-mail in advance of the tasting.

Burford is a native of Amherst County. For 25 years he ran Burford Brothers, which produced and marketed heirloom and modern varieties of fruit trees until 1997. Today he is a consultant in the fruit industry, and presents workshops, seminars and tastings.

He also has authored several books on commercial and heirloom apple varieties, fruit tree propagation, orchard design and management and related topics.

Burford will give a history and description of each variety, and tell a few anecdotes illuminating how some of the heirlooms became part of our food culture. He selects varieties to provide a broad spectrum of tastes, including classic apple varieties of the world that are reappearing in farmers’ markets and natural food stores in America.

Participants will have time to savor and rate the apples, using a scale of zero to nine with zero being “unpalatable” and nine being an “ecstatic taste experience.”

For more information, please contact Joe Malloy at 381-6307 or ljmalloy@sbc.edu.