Apples on the Web: New England Apples

Where better to locate a regional focus on apples than my own New England? (Pardon my parochialism!)

Photo: NASA

And who better to write on that topic than the former director of the New England Apple Grower's Association (and its current senior writer), Russell Powell?

Powell, who has penned two books about apples, publishes and writes New England Apples.

It's an uncluttered blog that also features apple photos (and writing) by Bar Lois Weeks, the Association's current Executive Director.

These columns blend commentary, recipes, history, and description with an emphasis on the first of these.

Powell has his share of single-variety apple reviews, such as for regional favorites McIntosh and Macoun. However, most of his descriptions are grouped into themed posts.

Powell tells us, for example, about some of the more interesting orange apples that grow here, including Jonagold and Cox's and Ribston pippins.

Learn also of his disciplined, scientific search for the best pie apple (spoiler: apparently Science demands further research).

In season he will also publish reports from the field ("The Macouns are nearly gone at Dame Farm and Orchard....") detailing specific information about conditions especially useful to apple chasers like me.

New England Apples the blog might be best appreciated as a companion to New England Apples the Association web page. The latter is better organized and, since I reviewed it in 2010, has nearly doubled the number of apples in its catalog.

The blog is chattier and with its own personality. Some of the timely posts, such as reports on conditions, age quickly.

Russell Powell's latest book is Apples of New England (Countryman Press 2014).