Gateway apples

To the extent this blog has a message, it is appreciation of the many diverse kinds of apples that are still grown, enjoyed, and loved.

Towards that end from time to time I take my best shot at pitching alternatives to fans of some of the standard popular varieties.

There is nothing wrong with any of the mainstream apples, but one apple is never enough and variety is the spice of life.

Thus I occasionally write installments in a "You may also like..." series. If web stats can be believed these columns are popular with search engines and, one hopes, with people.

Hard-core McIntosh fans, I reason, ought to know about Paula Red and some of the other early Mac varieties that can be enjoyed in August when no real Macs can be found.

Red Delicious lovers, who may be put off by a full-throttled McIntosh, should nonetheless (don't you think?) make the acquaintance of Empire, a milder Mac x Delicious cross.

And I genuinely suppose that many aficionados of Golden Delicious would especially appreciate Golden Supreme, Ozark Gold, and Blushing Golden, to name but a few worthy alternatives.

These essays are rather more challenging to write than some of my others, and to date I have racked up only 4:

• So you like McIntosh
• So you like Honeycrisp
• So you like Red Delicious
• So you like Golden Delicious

though I may try my hand at Granny Smith at some point. All of these essays will appear on my "You may also like..." page.

I picture myself writing these for someone who is stuck in a sort of apple rut without realizing (1) how interesting the world of apples really is and (2) how many varieties are congruent to his or her ideal while yet offering something different and, perhaps, wonderful.

I hope these blog posts open a door for someone.

If you are especially fond of any of these varieties, let me know if my suggestions make sense or can be improved. I try to make these good enough to share, to spread the word about what's out there.