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.
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.
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.
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.