Adam's Apples

We all know that apples are from Kazakhstan . But today, gene resequencing techniques are telling us more about the long voyage of the apple from the wilds of the Tien Shen mountains to the U-Pick orchard. In particular, the modern European-style apple is a cross between the original Kazakh apple, Malus sieversii, and the European crab apple, M. sylvestris.

Are you missing McIntosh this week? That classic fall apple is still a good 3 weeks away (4 if you don't want yours green). In the meantime there is Paula Red, the best of the early Mac-like varieties of August (take that, Jersey Mac !)

This apple, tart, sweet, and complex, may be the best of August. Gravenstein makes me think of an early Macoun . It is the one to get this week! and probably the next.

I've finally replaced the worst photograph I've ever published on this blog with something better: It's a Jersey Mac, reviewed here in 2008. It was the second apple review that I wrote for this blog, and the second apple that I photographed. I still think I nailed it with the review, but the photo was just awful.