Adam's Apples

I got nothin' today, so would like to share with you this linked interview with Dan Bussey from gardening writer Margaret Roach. Bussey is producing an encyclopedia of some 16,000 apple varieties .

Over objections from the apple industry, the U.S. government yesterday gave the green light to the first genetically engineered apples. The gene-altered Arctic-brand apples are Granny Smith and Golden Delicious varieties that have been modified to resist browning when cut or bruised. Limited quantities could be brought to market as early as 2016.

Today's head-to-head compares two apples, one well-established and the other very new, from one of the oldest large-scale apple-breeding program in the Americas.

Rubyfrost, in some of the white stuff that we have so much of these days. Just a year ago the only way I could sample Rubyfrost, a spanking new apple from the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station , was to have a friend send one to me. Yet there it was last week in my local supermarket. These apples are from the 2014 harvest, which is a rapid deployment to market outside of the Empire State. So how does Rubyfrost hold up in storage? Pretty well!

For the third February since I introduced my system of rating apples with stars (1, 2, or 3), I am making some adjustments. I find it best to add and revise ratings once a year rather than continuously, and it give me something to do in the dark months. Today is the astronomical heart of winter, exactly half way between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox.