Neighborly apples

Last fall I was invited to identify some apples growing in a neighbor's yard. ¶ 

Not to beat around the tree: these proved to be Northern Spy, something that the home owners had suspected. ¶ 

I'm not actually a great apple detective, so just as well! But my payment was a nice ration of these apples, reminding me of how good they are. ¶ 

Why did I need to be reminded?

Because I hadn't had Northern Spy in years.

Peak apple

September and October are my kid-in-a-candy-shop months, when I buy too many apples and can't taste them all.

Some apples, like Ashmead's and Macoun, are must-have for me. Even though Northern Spy usually makes an appearance at farmers market, they somehow fell out of my rotation.

There are plenty of other worthy varieties that I esteeme but still don't eat. To paraphrase a famous quote, 

I don't eat half of these apples half as often as I should like, and I like less than half of them half as well as they deserve.

What else?

I would hardly complain of a diet of, say, Roxbury Russet, Spartan, Melrose, and Liberty, all available in season.

I do eat Jonathan, Jonagold, and Winesap (and Stayman) (and others) most years, but if I buy more than a few they tend to sit in favor of other apples.

So little time, so much fruit!

Thanks to my neighbors for the reminder...and the apples.

Links

• Northern Spy