Monday, May 27, 2019

Subacid

The best apples are a blend of sweet and tart.

a ribbed red apple
Esopus Spitzenberg
A round red apple
Opalescent

These apples are in or near the sweet spot where the tension between sugar and tartness is perfectly balanced and the flavors sing.

The old pomologists used the term "subacid" to describe an apple that had some acidity in the mix, but which stopped just short of being predominantly acid.

Saturday, May 11, 2019

From flower to fruit

Pink and white apple blossoms
before
Yellow and pink apple with prominent ribs
after
What do you want to be when you grown up?

These apples are grafted, so there is really no doubt about that here.

Behold the Calville Blanc D'Hiver.

Thursday, May 9, 2019

Williams, before and after

Pink and white apple blossoms Tapered apple, red blush tinged with orange
Two Williams data points, one from Harvard on Sunday, another from my Williams review circa 2015.

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Hightop Sweeting

Apple blossoms in the sun
There's an apple in there someplace.

I have never had the pleasure of tasting a Hightop Sweeting, so no "after" photo this time.

But isn't this one gorgeous? (And isn't that a topping name?)

Sunday, May 5, 2019

Before and after

Pink apple blossoms

Above, two moments in the life of Duchess of Oldenburg, an antique Russian variety with cooking and keeping qualities.

It's a late-summer apple.

A friend took this and other blossom photos in Harvard, Massachusetts, yesterday.

Thursday, May 2, 2019

Massachusetts dreamin'

Pink apple buds unfurl




Is it too soon to hope
On this chilly wet day in early May
For the sun, and a bountiful harvest