Ask not what your country can do for you, but where do those delicious apples and cheeses come from?
As President Clinton was inaugurated for a second term on Monday, celebrants at the New York congressional receptions sampled some of the best of what this country has to offer: apple and cheese varieties developed at Cornell.
Cornell Orchard sent 85 pounds of Empire and Jonagold apples -- two apple varieties developed at Cornell -- to the 1997 Presidential Inaugural receptions of New York Reps. Maurice Hinchey and James Walsh. The Cornell Dairy Store also sent about 30 pounds of Cornell-made New York sharp cheddar and New York extra sharp cheddar cheese for the Capitol Hill festivities.
"They're very good eating apples," said Richard Reisinger, manager of Cornell Orchard. "The apples were picked in mid-October, and since then they've been in controlled-atmosphere storage, so they'll taste like they just came off the tree. They are high-quality, very crisp apples."
Controlled-atmosphere storage of apples was pioneered at Cornell about 40 years ago, and it allows apple growers to store apples and distribute them "fresh" year-round, Reisinger said.