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2023 was a banner year for this blog. Apple reviews are the heart of this project, and I was able to publish 39 of them.
That is more than any year except for the first two: 2008 (44) and 2009 (41).
Having so many apples challenges my practice of rating them once a year according to my qualitative system of one to three stars.
I am aswim in apples. So this year I'll spread my ratings of these 39 varieties over two posts.
Today's names the apples that, based on my personal experience, are "very good, worth choosing"—one-star.
Caveat lector
For better or worse, I do not take either of those things into account. My ratings reflect what my own mouth tells me about the apples I have.
(A few one-star ratings do reflect, in part, the quality of being a particularly significant apple, e.g. Honeycrisp.)
Some generally regarded apples such as Lord Lambourne or Scrumptious, therefore, may not have received their due from me last fall.
I am very interested in revisiting the ratings if I ever have the pleasure taking their measure again.
* Star bright
Belle d'Août deserves not only a star but its name. I wish it would make its way south from Quebec to grace us in the summer months.
I thoroughly enjoyed Chehalis and its delightful flavors, and the English Russet, possibly the sweetest russet I have ever tasted.
Other one-stars include Ever Ready, simple but good; crisp and balanced Red Falstaff; and McIntosh-like Lobo.
Herefordshire Russet is the apple I would choose to introduce russets to the timid pomme-curious. Norfolk Royal Russet also deserves a star.
Purpurroter Cousinot certainly wins the "marvelous name award;" it also has an interesting flavor set.
A star also shines on the sun, specifically Sunrise and Sunrise Magic, two unrelated apples that feature good flavors and excellent crunch.
That leaves pretty, and crunchy, Shenandoah, and Violette, which bears flavors that are a pleasing as they are elusive.
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Previously posted: more-numerous one-star ratings for 2023.
I owe this year's tide of apples to two things: travel, and the kindness of readers who sent me apples to try.
Almost two
But there were several one-star apples that came close enough to two that I had to consider them carefully.
These include Aura, a modern apple of quality that I hope will be available this March as it was last year. It is pleasant to have something new that does not try to be Honeycrisp.
Similarly, though it was marvelous to find a mass-market russet apple in the UK, my view is that the Egremont does not quite rise to "worth seeking" (two stars) territory.
Rather it belongs with other one-star russets such as Hunt and Roxbury. Which is not shabby company at all.
Captain Kidd was another example of what I suspect was an off sample. Unfortunately, and contrary to my usual practice, I only took one of them to try.
My rating is based on that sample.
Northpole, one part Mac to two parts it own thing, is another close call. RubyRush is another I had to revisit mentally.
That adds up to 19 new one-star apples from 2023, bringing the total to 181 out of 381 reviewed.
Consider that these apples are "merely" very good, "worth choosing." That's not faint praise. I wish I had any of them to eat right now.
Stay tuned
Spoiler alert: There are no new three-stars this year. I am pretty stingy with those!
Meanwhile it's going to take a few days, at least, for these ratings to be reflected in the architecture of this blog.
Update: There are eight two-star apples this year,
The starfish images in this report are in the public domain.
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