Measuring the stars of 2024

Every winter, around the ancient festival of Imbolc, I rate the apples I tried for the first time in the previous year. ¶ 

In 2024, I had the pleasure of eating 16 that I'd never tasted before.

In my rating system, one star is a respectable "very good, worth choosing." Nine  of the "first time" varieties meet that standard.    

* One star

A star each to two tart (but good!) apples: Alexander, and striking bell-shaped Glockenapfel.

A much sweeter star goes to Summerset, which suggests parent Honeycrisp but with more flavor.

I also award a star to tiny Pigeonnet Rouge: lively, fun, and named (perhaps) for the egg or head of a bird.

Stars also to three from Maine: full-flavored Legace, crunchy, juicy Rolfe, and big fat (and tasty) Deane.

A star each also to Finkenwerder Herbstprinz (say that three times fast), named for the Island of Finches in Germany's Elbe, and (of course!) to the delightfully star-shaped Api Etoile.

Api Etoile

On consideration Margil, which I sampled on a visit to England in 2023, also deserves a star, for its eating qualities and its historical significance.

A defect (maybe) of my rating system is that it takes no account of the culinary virtues of the apples I taste. Here is how I award stars, if you are curious about that.

** Two stars

I am generous with one-star ratings, because (I find) most apples really are "very good." It's a bit harder to earn two stars ("excellent, worth seeking") from me.

This year, four apples did, including Florina, which I had previously tasted in 2013.

My 2013 Florina (sometimes sold as Querina) was not a prime specimen. Now, a better example has earned two stars.

My ratings are always based on my own experience only. Sometimes that experience is defective! I am always pleased to revisit things.

I also give two stars to Trent, crunchy and substantial, and to the very English (and full-flavored) Allington. Both were new to me.

Sir Prize, crisp and bursting with juice, is a two-star delight.

** * **

There are no three-star changes this year.

Also, five of last year's apples got no stars at all (but see below).

The total today stands at 398 apples (and counting!), including a few sports.

Those comprise 192 one-star apples and 82 two-star picks. The list of 6 three-star apples is unchanged this year.

Apple pie!

No stars? No problem

When I started rating apples in 2012, I worried that I might discourage others from trying apples that do not rate.

There are 118 unstarred apples (as of this writing). True, I don't think as highly of these as of the others, but all are worth trying.

Some of these are apples I might have rated more highly if I'd had better samples. Florina went from no stars to two that way this year.

I urge you to approach your orchard, farm stand, and supermarket in that spirit. My personal tastes are just that, and no better than yours

There may be a short delay before these ratings are reflected in blog posts and indexes.

The photo of the halved apple is from a larger image © Jörgens.Mi/Wikipedia, Licence: CC-BY-SA 3.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons