One-star apples

With this post I am pleased to introduce a qualitative rating system for apples. I also list about a third of the apples I have tried that are, in my view, worthy of at least one of three stars.

I resisted this idea as hubris and clutter for a long time, but have come to see it as another helpful way to organize the ever-growing content here.

I should nonetheless be distressed were these ratings to dissuade people from trying and liking all sorts of apples on their own terms, my opinions notwithstanding.

I hope the ratings will encourage some readers to try and to appreciate something new.

I have given one star to apples I consider to be (at least) "very good, worth choosing." Because this judgment is based on eating qualities, apples renowned in cooking or cider making may earn no stars if they are not also good to eat.

The first 41 of the rated apples, one-star or better:

Williams Pride

Ananas Reinette ● Arkansas Black ● Baldwin ● Black Oxford ● Blue Pearmain ● Blushing Golden ● Burgundy ● Chestnut Crabapple ● Cox's Orange Pippin ● Creston ● Early Spy ● Empress ● Esopus Spitzenberg ● Gingergold ● Golden Supreme ● Gravenstein ● Green Crisp ● Hampshire ● Hudson's Golden Gem ● Ida Red ● Jonafree ● Jonamac ● Karmijn de Sonnaville (Karmine) ● Lady Alice ● Lodi ● Macoun ● Milton ● Nodhead ● Orleans Reinette ● Pacific Rose (Sciros) ● Piñata (Pinova, Sonata) ● Pristine ● Puritan ● Red Gravenstein ● Sansa ● Sweetango ● Tydeman's Michaelmass Red ● Vista Bella ● Williams' Pride ● Yellow Transparent (White Transparent) ● Zestar

From these apples, and the rest that I will list over the next several weeks, I will go on to select two-star and then three-star varieties.

During the roll-out of this rating system things may be uneven while I integrate the new ratings into the reviews.

I have been generous with the one-star ratings because I love apples and truly find most of them to be "very good" and "worth choosing." I shall be more selective with two and three-star ratings.

Please do let me know what you think.