I started Adam's Apples five years ago to learn about apples but also about blogging and writing for the web. Every year I have been rewarded on both fronts.
Predictably, it's harder for me with each harvest to find "new" varieties (some of which are of course quite old) to try for the first time and to share with you. Lately I've spent more time making my existing reviews accessible than sampling untried varieties.
That's one lesson I've learned about blogging. If you stick with it at some point what had been a disparate collection of essays becomes an actual body of work, which suddenly needs all kinds of tending and care.Such work is interesting too, in its way, but each year also brings the promise of new fruit, textures, and tastes, familiar and strange.
I don't see that you have ever reviewed the Mother apple. Ironically, it was developed in Bolton, Massachusetts, but it appears no orchard near you still grows them. Although it failed as a commercial variety, its flavor had been rated "best" by several of the old sources. We are about to find out, since we have fruit on our Mother tree for the first time, and they are almost ready. I'd send you a couple, except its reputation for tenderness and poor keeping quality suggests that might not be advisable.
ReplyDeleteJohn, Mother is, sadly, a stranger to me, and based on your information likely to remain so this year.
DeleteDo drop me a line if you learn of any Mother growers out my way.
Best of luck with your harvest!
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI'm writing to you from Old Frog Pond Farm in Harvard, MA --I have quite a few my heirlooms that fruited this year - including a Mother tree. I'm going to put out at the farm stand your writeups on all the apples we are picking each day. Take a look at our list of apples on our new website and let me know the ones that you don't have and I will make sure to save you some if they are available this year.
Thanks for this awesome blog!!!
@OldFrog: Thank you! I shall certainly take you up on Mother, especially given John Henderson's comments above. When is she ripe?
DeleteI mention Old Frog Pond in several posts. You are the source of several of the apples I review, including your mysterious Green Crisp.
I'm eating a Mother apple as I write. I picked ours on September 9. It is well-balanced and has some sweetness with complex overtones that I don't find easy to describe. Hope you get a chance to taste one.
ReplyDelete