Adam's Apples

My Scrumptious has a crimson blush with a beautiful dark region that that may reflect time spent on the tree. It is on the small end of medium-sized and very oblate, wider than tall.  ¶  That blush is not entirely dark. There is a small yellow patch on one side, surrounded by red and orange streaks. A crown of russet radiates from the stem well.

I have 3 small apples from Moldova.  ¶  Other than that, no information. They could be a Moldovan cultivar, a chance seedling, or a variety that originated elsewhere. They are ribbed and oblate with a slight taper. Calyx open, color a very green tinted yellow with a patchy, streaky partial red blush.  One must peer at them closely to see the lenticels, even in the blush where they are small light dots. They sport a glossy peel. These have a very rich aroma of sweet cider.

I'm not certain today's apple is the true English Russet and would welcome any suggestions about that from my readers.  ¶  I do love a mystery . The above combination of rosy blush, light brown russet, and green-tinged yellow (in the unblushed peel) makes this sample a complex visual treat.

Today we consider a large medium apple, oblate with a slight taper. It is very regular and symmetrical.  ¶  Hamid's Red Pippin is indeed a pretty red, saturated and deep on one side, over yellow, wearing a russet cap. Small  light lenticels are distinct in the dark part of blush but hard to spot on the other half. 

What a handsome apple! Mine is at the smaller end of large. It's somewhat oblate with a classical shape and a streaky red blush.  ¶  The dark streaks are a deep red and there are crackles of russet spilling over the stem well and running down the sides. The lenticel dots are nearly impossible to see. Let's see how this American variety fares when grown in English apple country.

Dark red streaks mostly cover this attractive yellow apple, which is medium sized and oblate with no perceptible ribbing.  ¶  A corona of green-brown russet radiates from the stemwell, and russet-colored dots are large on one side and small in the more-blushed side. Lord L has a sweet aroma.  ¶ 

On the train back to London with my apples. I seek out apples when I travel. It's a rewarding way to connect with another land and its culture  ¶  . But I don't go so far as to plan entire trips around the pomaceous fruit. That reflects my priorities, but sometimes leads to missed opportunities  ¶  . A recent October trip to England yielded many of those, but also many apples. And a few surprises.

My sample is a small medium, a classically conical apple with very subdued ribbing. It wears a pure red blush with saturated streaks over pale yellow.  ¶  The tiny light lenticel dots are raised bumps, easier to feel than see.  ¶ 

Egremont Russet is regularly available in supermarkets in the United Kingdom, and the sample in my first photo is one I found in London.  ¶  Its appearance, the rough golden brown with a bit of mustard yellow peeping though, was typical of the Egremonts I saw.  ¶  However, my freshest and best example was the one from Keeper's Nursery , and it looked just a little different.

Well of course they do, but at what scale, and which kinds do they like?  ¶  On a recent October visit, I saw Cox's Orange Pippin and a russet variety on supermarket shelves next to the more familiar (to Americans) Pink Lady and Braeburn . The selection was rather smaller than one might find at a similar market here in New England. But October is the great harvest month of the year, so who needs supermarkets? I looked forward to what I might find at street markets in the great city of London. I was disappointed.