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The best apple of the summer,
Gravenstein, is at peak now in most places where it is grown. If you see this heirloom
for sale this week, seize it with both hands.
The same goes for Grav's sporty cousin, Red Gravenstein.
Gravenstein is a balanced apple with crisp texture and fine floral and spicy flavors.
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| Red Gravenstein |
Unlike some summer apples, Gravenstein will keep a bit in your refrigerator, so you can buy a week's worth with confidence. It will probably remain available for the rest of the month. But don't wait!
Slow Food USA, which prizes this variety as much as I, has more information about Gravenstein.
I look forward to Gravenstein, but I have to share about half of all of them with the blue jays before they're actually ripe. That's half of each apple, not half of the crop of individual apples. It's hard to finish ripening half an apple. Try Kerry's Irish Pippin (aka Kerry Pippin) if you get a chance. I had a few this year. They are slightly ahead of Gravenstein, rich, fruity, a little spicy firm and very promising for an early apple. I'm looking for early apples, preferably earlier than Gravenstein, but which can compete with it in quality. Kerry's Irish is the first candidate so far, depending on how they perform over the next couple years.
ReplyDeleteYour jays have good taste!
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