Adam's Apples

Behold, not for the first time , Calville Blanc d'Hiver, the classic French cooking apple. I'm glad to have two of these, but also disappointed. Here's why.

Beneath the grey November sky, the last farmers market of the season held court today in a parking lot in Davis Square , Somerville.

What's striking about this apple? It's the unusual color: a "glo" that is the result of a pastel orange-pink color peering through an otherwise pale green peel. (Click on any photo for a closer look.) This look reminds me of the tan exterior of the Pink Pearl . Which raises an interesting question...

Excuse me, but I am closing in on a minor milestone: 300 unique apples reviewed on this site.

I was in Boulder (Colorado) for less than 20 minutes when I first heard praise for "western slope Honeycrisps," the best apples in the world. Within the hour, I'd heard it again, from my landlady. She had one ready for me. Best apple in the world: that's debatable. But it was the best Honeycrisp I have ever had. (And we now know what they like to eat in Boulder!)

In the 17th Century, left-wing puritans would frequently find themselves before magistrates for disrupting church services, refusing to pay tithes, and otherwise resisting the public order. Then they would dig deeper holes for themselves by addressing the judge with the egalitarian "thee" instead of the respectful "you." It is perhaps in this spirit that Steven Edholm, the originator of today's apple, informs me that the correct spelling is, all caps, " BITE ME !" including an obligatory exclamation point.

Behold this large apple, shapely and tapered (if a little lopsided), a cheerful yellow with patches of orange-pink blush. Russetted lenticels stand out against the light background, and there is a very small amount of ribbing.

You has to eat a peck o sharpie to be a nappleman true, as John Chapman once said. Today's sharpie was wielded by Will in Central Massachusetts.

Wouldn't you say these are the same apple?