More apples in a starring role

With this post I introduce the last of the apples I rate as "very good (worth choosing)" or better.

All together I name 121 apples that deserve stars according to a qualitative rating system. From these I will identify a smaller number of two- and three-star apples.

These ratings are based on the eating qualities of the best samples I could find. I did not have peak examples in every case, so ratings could change based on further experience.

Ratings do not reflect any tree characteristics of interest to growers such as frost hardiness or resistance to disease.

Also apples with outstanding qualities for cider or cooking are often not very good to eat. If so they are not recognized with stars. This reflects my own limitations and is not a judgment of the apples' contributions to the noble worlds of food and drink.

Of the thirty-odd apples that did not make the cut, all are very worth trying. Maybe you will like them better than I did.

Opalescent gets a star

The remainder of my apples rated one star or better are Ambrosia ● Ashmead's Kernel ● Black Twig ● Braeburn ● Coromandel Red (Knottenbelt Red, Coradel) ● Davey ● Deacon Jones ● Elstar ● Enterprise ● Fortune ● Golden Delicious ● Granite Beauty ● Gray Pearmain ● Hubbardston Nonesuch ● Jazz ● Jonathan ● King David ● Lady Apple (Api) ● Lucky Rose Golden ● Maiden's Blush ● Melrouge ● Monroe ● Northern Spy ● Opalescent ● Paw Paw ● Pomme Gris (Pomme Grise) ● Red Canada ● Reinette Simirenko (Wood's Greening) ● Rhode Island Greening ● Roxbury Russet ● Smokehouse ● Spartan ● Star Song ● Suncrisp ● Sweet Sixteen ● Topaz ● Wealthy ● Wickson ● Winter Banana.

I introduced the other 82 starred apples here and here.

This rating scheme adds another kind of useful structure to this blog as it grows. I hope it will encourage readers to try new things.