Violette *

These apples are in the small side of medium, classically shaped and moderately ribbed. There is a very dark red blush on one, covering a pale yellow. The dark blush nearly swallows the lenticels.

On the other sample the blush is more of a brick red and displays large lenticels. ¶ 

The dark patches are the aptly named Sooty Blotch, a superficial fungus infection that does not generally affect eating quality. (It can affect quality in storage.) You can rub it off if you like.

The "soot" is a sign of an organic or very-minimal-spray orchard. Hocking Hills Orchard, the source of these, is the latter. Derek Mills, the owner, says "I grow apples for taste not looks."

Derek shared a note that these come with "a violet colored bloom." (He was quoting a description that he got from the US Department of Agriculture.)

Blooms, which are dusty, powdery-looking coatings (of natural wax), are fragile. I didn't see one, but it could explain the name.

Inside

Inside, pale yellow flesh is medium-grained, medium-crisp, and on the tart side. Derek shares a description that says "vinous and pleasant." 

I agree, but am having trouble finding more-specific tastes to latch on to. Maybe "sour berries," if there were any such thing, though I hasten to add there is offsetting sugar. Maybe something floral. Violets, perhaps?

The interior cavity seems large in relation to the size of the apple.

Violet is an old French variety—internet sources say from the 1600s.

Hocking Hills

Hocking Hill Orchard boasts 1,600 varieties (yes, that is the correct number of zeros) on 7,000 trees.

A profile of the farm and farmer from Ohio magazine notes that Derek usually runs this as a U-pick. This year, however, Derek tells me that isn't possible: a late freeze wiped out most of the crop.

Hocking Hills also rents cabins, so I suppose I could move there and never want for source material for this blog.