I heard about the Hooples Antique Gold apple from a friend of mine who is working at the Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, Iowa.
She told me that they had an apple tree with my name on it in their heritage apple orchard, and I got super excited! You see, everything that has to do with Hooples has to do with me because of a family name change when Jurgen Michael emigrated from Germany. And a couple of weekends ago, I went to visit my friend, and my apple, in Decorah.
Not only did I get to meet an apple tree that was developed by a distant relative of mine, but I got to eat a Hoople’s Antique Gold Apple!
It is delicous!!! Crisp, fruity and tangy. My favorite kind of apple! The skin is a lovely golden yellow with that nice, rough, russeting texture. My friend is going to hook me up with the guy in charge of the orchard and see about me getting some scions to propagate!! Sweeeeet! Here’s what I found out about the apple’s origins from the Southmeadow Catalog:
HOOPLE’S ANTIQUE GOLD – A russet-skinned sport or bud mutation from a standard Golden Delicious tree in the orchards of Mr. Harry Hoople of Hoople Fruit Farm in Otway, Ohio. This is one of the most beautiful apples we have ever seen with a russet skin of amazing antique gold coloration. The flavor is also of extraordinary merit and indeed its universally favorable reception from those who had tasted it was the reason Mr. Hoople sent it to Southmeadow for propagation. Hoople’s Antique Gold varies from the original not only in beautiful skin color but in crispier flesh and intensity of flavor. We are most grateful he has enabled us to make this superb new variety available to fruit connoisseurs. Season same as Golden Delicious.
What do Hooples have to do with you??
Family is a big part of The Answer. Not just my answer, The Answer. All Hooples are related and family is really a big part of what this life thing is all about, right? Family is where we come from and informs where we’re headed. Suffice it to say that I get really excited about Hoople family history! So, now, if you ever meet a Hoople, you can let them know that there’s a funny, stone-jewelry-making girl in Wisconsin who would love to shake their hand and tell them about our family roots! Oh!! And that there’s an apple with our name on it!!!
Phyllis Hoople says
Thanks for the pictures, Jenny! I hope you manage to get a scion. It would be so cool to have a Hoople growing Hoople apples again after all these years 😀
jennyhoo says
🙂 Hope so too!! Thanks, Mom 😀
melissa hoople says
Jenny, I am also a Hoople by marriage and we live just down from the farm. My husband, named Harry grew up there as did most of our community. Around here everyone knows that Hoople stands for good people and good apples: )Great article, I am going to share it with my friends/family.
Melissa
melissa hoople says
Jenny, Its awesome to run across this story. My husband is Harry Hoople’s grandson, also Harry. The original orchard still exists and is ran by the daughter of George Hoople, one of the original 3 brothers that grew up on the farm. I will have to send you some pics as we live just a few miles from there ourselves. Around here Hoople’s Apple Orchard was part of growing up for so many of us. Harry and Souter Hoople ran the farm and were always welcoming to the community. They were greatly loved and respected here and it is really cool to see that legacy living on, and that the antique gold found another Hoople.
jennyhoo says
Ooh! Nice to meet you Melissa!! Does the orchard have a website? Tell them to make one!!
jennyhoo says
This is just awesome! Do they still have some Hoople’s Antique Gold Apples? I was contacted by a woman who has one!
Carma Baker says
Hello!
I love Hooples orchard, I went there as a child with my grandparents and just recently started going back there after the daughter or grandaughter and her sons opened it back up.
They do not have a website that Im aware of its very bare bones.
sometimes you call and they are making cider and cant talk or you call and they are picking up kids from school and have to call you back! I love that about it though. I was just getting readuy to call to see how things are growing when I realized I had lost the phone number. I typed in hople and your blog came up! so hello from southern ohio!
Sincerely,
Carma Baker
melissa says
Just bought a peck of antique golds today and some fresh made cider, sorry there is no website, the lady that runs it is the daughter of George Hoople one of the 3 Hoople boys (George, Harry and Souter) that took over the farm after their parents past away. All of the boys are gone now but the farm is still an active place and a community treasure, everyone here has a memory from the orchard. Harry was really the one that was interested in the trees and often experimented with various varieties, very intelligent man. Look me up on facebook if you would like to see some pics or ask any questions. Melissa Strickland Hoople
jennyhoo says
That’s awesome Melissa 😀 Thanks for writing! I got to taste Hoople Antique Golds once and they’re a delicious apple! Proud to have them in the family 😀
Charlie creelman says
My great friend Cory freeman runs the orchard now with his father and fiancé in Otway. We met in culinary school years ago and have been close ever since. I’ve always heard stories of this apple and have seen the trees many times on trips up but haven’t got the chance to make it up during picking time yet! I’m dying to get my hands on some! Love this story!
Jenny Hoople says
🙂 Thanks for reaching out, Charlie!