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Zestar and Gingergold have joined Early Mac and Paula Red at farmers market this week.
It is fun to watch the symphony of apples build to its annual crescendo in October. The melody unfolds a little differently every year.
Last year at this time we had five varieties, including some actual McIntosh picked too early. We never saw any Gravenstein, a favorite of mine that I hope will show up next week.
The apples are afoot
My occasional market reports may help you to know some of what might be ripe where you live, if your climate is similar to ours in Massachusetts. The same apples will probably be for sale tomorrow in Belmont.
I was out of town last week, so missed out on the local scene, but in my travels I was pleased to buy some Sansa, also some Chenango Strawberry (and another antique apple to be named later).
I also saw Duchess of Oldenburg for sale. So the apples are here, and if you look for them in orchards and farmers markets you will be rewarded!
The apples shown are, left to right, Gingergold and Zestar.
Last year (or the year before), you shared a chart of what apples you found at market when. Will you be doing that this year? Cheers
ReplyDeleteThat was fun! (though regrettably hard to read on a small screen).
DeleteBut like my epic record of every apple I ate in 2014, I think it may go down as a one-off. We'll see!
At least in my geography, Zestar is still under-ripe and quite tart when it is red and green, as shown in your picture. In my experience, this apple reaches its prime when it is red and yellow. Alas, many producers have a tendency pick the fruit a bit on the early side.
ReplyDeletePicking too early is a pet peeve of mine. The photo is not from this year; I think you might approve of the ones I found this week!
DeletePlease forgive my own linguistic pet peeve--symphonies do not build to a crescendo. The crescendo builds to a climax.
ReplyDeleteIn other news, I came home Saturday to find that, in the hot weather, one of my Summer Rambos separated from the tree when I applied a gentle lift. I ate it, and it was good, but I think it was not quite ripe, despite the scission. I suspect that our sudden burst of heat (mid eighties! oh no!) may have stressed the tree or fruit enough to call it quits. The remaining 4 apples--more shaded--are still firmly attached, and will hopefully ripen more before I pick them. Mid eighties may not sound like much to most continental US residents, but mid-seventies was probably as hot as it had gotten for the rest of the summer here at the northwestern corner of the continental US. But--my first home-grown Washington apple!
And here I thought I was going get called out for saying one could "watch" a crescendo!
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