Peace Garden *

Here's a word I've never used before to describe an apple: Adorable.

Just look at this squat little apple with its loose vertical stripes floating in a magenta-tinged blush. I dunno, maybe it's the size, or the way those tiny light lenticels accent the curvature of the fruit.

But you are probably more interested in how it eats.

Peace Garden is a juicy little apple, with coarse-grained light yellow flesh. It strikes a pleasant sweet-tart balance but lacks punch, bearing only delicate flavors.

First there is an almost vinegary hit with a little fizz on the tongue, followed by cane sugar and vanilla.

Peace Garden is firm and reasonably crisp and just a little chewy. It has a refreshing finish.

I count this as a really fun apple, if perhaps not a great one. A bit of a palate cleanser and not without interest.

I was not able to learn much about this apple's interesting name online, but it is a Malinda x Duchess of Oldenburg cross dating from the late 1950s.

In North Dakota, where Peace Garden originated, the apple matures in late September. My sample grew in Northern California and was harvested in early September. It was not obviously unripe.

The size of my Peace Garden might be an outlier, so your adorableness factor may vary. It would be a very pretty apple at any size.