Thursday, August 29, 2019

Monday, August 26, 2019

Early McIntosh vs. Paul Red Smackdown

Two round red apples
Early Mac (L) vs Paula Red

McIntosh is still the King of Autumn in these parts. Consequently, many contenders vie for the role of August regent before Mac's royal debut in September.

Mac isn't available to eat now, so the best we can do is to rate Early McIntosh (L) against Paula Red (R).

Paula is both (1) the most Mac-like of the August earlies, and (2) the only other Mac-wannabee available when Early Mac is ripe.

Friday, August 23, 2019

Early McIntosh (Early Mac) *

Round red apple with prominent white lenticel spots.

When I started this blog, I had the notion that this apple was not a real variety. That the name was just a generic catchall for any number of different early apples.

Not so, of course: Early McIntosh has a first-rate pedigree, with McIntosh himself providing the parenting pollen and Yellow Transparent the seed.

Though I figured that out a while ago, this is my first bite.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Ducal Honors for Gatekeeper

Striped ribbed apple

Chances are good these are a named variety, but Josh, from Western Washington, calls them Gatekeeper. That will do since we do not know what they are.

They have a good texture for such an early apple, and painterly streaks of red. Sadly, for eating out of hand these do not work for me.

Sunday, August 11, 2019

Feast on these

Yellow apples, some faintly blushed, in a wooden bin

My advice for the week: If you find Pristine for sale, seize with both hands.

Photo from farmers market last Wednesday.

Wednesday, August 7, 2019

Hightop Sweeting

Green-yellow apple with faint small blush.

I wrote about Hightop just two weeks ago. It was not ripe then, but sometimes one is fortunate enough to get a second chance.

Saturday, August 3, 2019

A late report on early apples

green apples with red blush, for sale at Farmers market

And here they are.

They were also "here" last Saturday—at the Union Square (Somerville) farmers market—but I wasn't.

Then on Wednesday violent storms closed Arlington's market before I could get there.