Every year about this time, we pose the eternal question: where can we find Northern Spy apples? This venerable variety, which pomological history dates back to about 1800, makes, in the learned opinion of my wife Pam, who is one of the best pie-makers on the planet, the premier apple pie and is worth whatever effort it takes to track down. We used to be able to find Spies in upstate New York, right next to my in-laws's home in Cazenovia, but Norma and Rob have both passed on, so that source, which is six hours away, is no longer easy to get to, and many of the other Spy sources closer to home have played out. But Pam, after a lot of searching, found one at Alyson's Orchard in not-too-distant Walpole, New Hampshire. It's a glorious spot, and is now highly recommended. They had lots of Spies, including a red variety we'd never heard of, along with a harvest of other heritage apples. We came, we sampled, we picked, and now we're ready to cook. Praise be!