Cider Chat

Tribute to Author and Orchardists Michael Phillips I spoke with his long time friend Alan Surprenant of Brook Farm Orchard in Ashfield, Massachusetts on a cool March day a little over two week's after the unexpected passing of Michael Phillips.  The two men met originally at a New England Organic Farmers Association (NOFA) conference that was being held at Hampshire College and they soon became fast friends. It was Alan who first contacted me with the news of Michael's unexpected passing and I knew he'd be perfect to speak about the life of one of America's premier apple writers and teachers. Michael's book placed in tribute to his passing a few days earlier at the 2022 Berkshire Roundtable   Michael died in his orchard in the Lost Nation area of New Hampshire on February 27, 2022. He was in the process of writing his fourth book and building out a Speakeasy where friends could gather to sip cider on his land that he shared with his wife Nancy and where they raised their daughter Grace. I expected to talk a