Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Apples on the Web: All About Apples

Another ambitious site with lots of apple information, All About Apples seeks to be no less than "the premier internet site for the Apple Industry."

(Update: All About Apples merged with Orange Pippin in 2011 and as of 2012 nearly all links to AAA redirect to OP.)

Chief attractions here are hundreds of apple descriptions and a geographical catalog of orchards, which invites listings from growers. But there is also a bulletin board, a short list of articles of interest to orchardists, book reviews, and other bells and whistles.

Still, All About Apples feels a little like a labor of love that is on hiatus. Except for the bulletin boards, where people post question and, sometimes, answer about apple varieties and pomaculture, there doesn't seem to be any new content on the site since 2008.

Nonetheless the authors put a lot into this site, which remains a useful and well-organized resource with descriptions of many little-known apples.

Readers will appreciate All About Apples' no-nonsense apple reviews. For instance, here is the site's take on Lodi, an early apple:

Lodi
Parentage / Origin:
Montgomery x Transparent; New York, 1942.

Harvest / Season: Harvest: July - August, Season: 4 weeks from harvest.

Description: Fruit is pale yellow flushed with deeper yellow. Flesh is crisp and juicy, flavor is sweet-tart. Ripens later than Transparent and keeps longer.

Tree Characteristics: Resistant to apple scab. Tendency to biennial bearing can be remedied by thinning. Dependable, productive trees.

I blush to compare this compact description to my own opinionated review of Lodi.

4 comments:

  1. Adam I am SL (either Sherrie LaPorte or Silent Lurker, both of which are true.)
    As a former member of LRY '69-73',I find it fascinating to learn others interests. I have been reading AND using your apple blog and yesterday an apple based on what you have written. I thank you sir and will return frequently

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  2. Well, Sherrie, I'm glad you like it!

    What apple did you try and did it suit you?

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  3. Western WI: I came to apple blogging late, and for some reason did not find your blog immediately. I don’t think you need to blush. Both types of descriptions are useful. Yours (and the comments) are a lot more fun. I doubt that I’ll ever try to read Orange Pippin all the way through. I do like that it is now including other fruit. I love cherries and there are a bunch of lovely old cherry varieties that can be difficult to find (my interest in these was piqued when I lived in Missoula, where the growers really knew their cherries, unlike the upper Midwest). But I am really enjoying reading through your blog.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, @WestWi! I am glad you are enjoying the blog. I in turn am enjoying your comments.

      By the way, if you post a comment here using a Google account, you can be notified whenever there is a reply to what you wrote.

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