Adam's Apples

Today's apple has attracted an extraordinary amount of attention from growers in Washington State. The state university there developed and is promoting the new variety. The growers are responding by ordering and planting thousands of trees. Cosmic Crisp is a very handsome apple, quite big, with a saturated blush of orange-tinted crimson decorated by lenticel dots. These run the gamut from tiny and distinct to large and diffuse. Ribbing also runs a range from moderate to pronounced. My photo sample is tapered but most of the others are rounder and blocky.

No wonder they call keepers "winter apples." I got two pecks of GoldRush apples today.

Eric Arthur Blair, who wrote as George Orwell, praised the apples of Britain in an essay about British food that went unpublished for many years. In addition it is worth listing the foodstuffs, natural or prepared, which are especially good in Britain and which any foreign visitor should make sure of sampling. The British Council commissioned the essay in 1946 and then declined to publish it.

Last year I only tasted 3 "new" (as in, new to me ) apples, so this will be short. It's halfway to spring (yes it is !), and it is my custom at this time of year to bring my qualitative ratings  up to date, awarding one, two, three, or no stars.