Adam's Apples

Today's apple, Ohlson, arrived in rough shape, with many bruises.  ¶  It is a cylindrical apple with a base broader than its top, a yellow apple with orange-red specks and vertical streaks that look like red oil floated onto the peel in water.  It is possible to distinguish the lenticels, faintly, in the unblushed regions. There is a small amount of ribbing. 

I visited the Davis Square farmers market in neighboring Somerville this week, in part to see if the vendors there identified their apples, or just left people to guess.  ¶  That was an issue last week in Arlington . I visited both this week. The crew in Davis includes some old hands, and indeed every variety there had its own identifying placard. Picky me, I still have issues. But there were 15 varieties at each, 17 in total. By comparison Arlington offered 9 last week. We are approaching Peak Apple.

This medium-sized apple has a subdued red blush over spring green, washed out in spots. It is ribbed and from the top describes an imperfect square.  ¶  A stubby stem sits in a shallow well, and in the blush one must peer closely, and in bright light, to see the many tiny light lenticels. Its calyx is closed tight. Northpole feels firm in hand. Let's check out what lies within.

My sample of this antique apple comes not from the St. Lawrence valley, where it may have originated, but from western Washington.  ¶  Red vertical stripes, some deep and saturated, radiate from the stem well of this visually striking apple. They contrast with Saint Lawrence's otherwise pale yellow-green peel. Many small red flecks mix in with darker lenticel dots.

Two exceptional apples made their annual debut at farmers market this week: Ashmead's Kernel and Macoun .  ¶  Though we are, sadly, missing many great apples that we often see by this time in September, make no mistake. This is high season. These are heavy hitters. Royalty .

This distinctive apple has saturated orange-red streaks over light yellow tinged with green. My samples are ribbed and have a classic, slightly tapered, shape.  ¶  The small tan lenticel dots are hard to spot in the blush, though some are dark with rusett or other matter.

I have two medium-sized green-yellow apples with small rosy blushes washed over the peel in varying intensities. The lenticel dots, though present, are not obvious.  ¶  Each has some modest ribbing and is a little oblated at bottom and top. They are temptingly firm in hand.

Imperfect translation: Beauty of August My samples of this apple are small. The partial blush, streaky in spots, is a cheerful red over yellow green, decorated with light lenticels in the blush. There's really no ribbing to speak of, and despite a slight taper, the overall impression is round. The stem adds a jaunty note.

Cortland replaces Paula Red at the market this week. There is often a pause in the market this time of year. Still, there's cause for concern about the harvest, given the snap freeze back in May.  ¶ The next few weeks should tell the tale.

Left to right: Lobo , the larger and squatter, and its mother, McIntosh .  ¶  (The camera angle hides a significant size difference.)  ¶  My Mac's blush is a little darker and less orange, but both have the same streaky character over similar yellow green.

No photo today! I thought I'd taken Melba's portrait, so I went ahead and ate my samples to write up my review.  ¶  Too late, I discovered I hadn't gotten the shot after all.  ¶  Sorry! In lieu of that, sit back and picture the following:

Lobo's red streaky blush over spring green suggests a squat, hulking McIntosh , though the blush is more orange and is decorated with many tan lenticels of varying sizes.  ¶  These have partially open calyxes and almost no ribbing. Mine are pretty large.

King McIntosh, magnificent (and pricey!), at farmers market earlier today in Arlington, Massachusetts.  ¶ McIntosh heralds the harvest profound.

Not to be confused with Sunrise Magic , an unrelated later-season apple, my Sunrise is decidedly oblate and blocky, with moderate ribbing and an orange red blush that partially covers green yellow.  ¶  Close inspection finds many tiny tan lenticel dots in the blush. They are even harder to find, and green, in the unblushed regions. The calyx is slightly parted on these and there is some russet in the stem well.