Adam's Apples

VERY GOOD, SOMETIMES :  It's been nearly 16 years since I sampled Redfree, a modern disease-resistant breed that is a candidate for home gardeners and organic orchards.  ¶  I learned that there is some variability in this summer variety.  ¶  The above apple grew at an organic farm (Hutchins, in Concord, Massachusetts) about week ago (when I tasted it). These apples are different enough from my 2009 samples to justify a second bite.

I'm here for a second bite at Red Free, a gorgeously colored early variety that is on the large side of medium-sized. It's oblate and really with no ribbing save around the base, which has the usual bumps. The glossy blush runs from streaky to a deep cherry red over a green-tinted yellow. The tiny lenticels are almost invisible. Meanwhile the apple is firm in hand and has only a faint sweet aroma.

The name refers to this apple's (a) color and (b) resistance to disease and its general ease of care. Red Free is a classically shaped apple, ribbed and medium large. Its red blush ranges from streaky to saturated over light yellow green.