The 2017 stars

Imbolc, that old holiday when winter secretly pivots towards the spring, is the time I revisit those apples that I have tasted in the previous year and rate them according to my star system.

In the past year I tasted 19 varieties for the first time. But I also revisit apples. Based on a new sample, I award a star to Akane for the first time, for its texture and taste.

My ratings are qualitative, and one star denotes a "very good apple, worth choosing." Bonkers, EverCrisp, Chieftain, Crow Egg, Scarlett Crofton, SugarBee, and Surprise all deserve a star.

I am also awarding a single star to Antonovka Kamenichka. However, this exotic apple probably deserves two. My sample was sadly watercored to a degree that made it hard for me to evaluate.

Nonetheless my Antonovka left a very favorable impression, and I hope this will not be my last word.

Under my system a two-star apple is "worth seeking."

I award two stars to the following six apples this year:

• Cue's Favorite, every bit as good as its likely parent, McIntosh,
• Frostbite, the crunchy malty apple that UMinn sat on for more than half a century, 
• Kidds Orange Red, reminiscent of three-star Cox's Orange Pippin,
• crisp Old Fashioned Limbertwig,
• elegant Reinette Clochard,
• Wagener, with especially interesting, harmonious flavors.

To my subscribers: Those of you who follow my feed will, alas, shortly see all of these varieties from me again as I edit them to reflect the new ratings. I'm not spamming you; it's an unavoidable consequence of editing my posts.