Adam's Apples

( Vista Bella Apples for sale in Arlington, Massachusetts, earlier today. ) Not a moment too soon, the 2025 harvest begins.  ¶  Vista Bella is an early apple, a good one. But these are early: VB is at its best closer to the end of the month.  ¶  So these aren't great, except that they are.

Too green, too early, and doubtless too unripe, the very first apples of the 2024 harvest landed at Farmers Market in Arlington today.  ¶  And though I grouse about farmers who pick apples before their time, in this case I say, not a moment too soon .

The harvest begins with a crate of Vista Bella and the distinctive flavor of watermelon candy .

Impossibly early Vista Bella apples for sale from Nicewicz Family Farm earlier today at Arlington's Farmers Market. In the words of that great detective and distinguished pomologist Sherlock Holmes, "when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

The first apples have come early this year. The wonderful fresh Vista Bella apples (right) usually come in the third or fourth week of July, though since the growing season is so early this year I thought we might see them sooner. I was completely surprised however to see Lodi (left) at the Arlington's Farmers Market today. If Lodi they be--I scarcely recognize them. Their shape and size and color is not what I expect. They are usually small but today tower over the Vista Bella.

Appreciating the all-too-short Vista Bella season is easy: in July, they are the only game in town. But these apples would be noteworthy any time of year, and today I found a new taste in Vista Bella's sweet-tart berries-and-wine mix: fake watermelon notes. Not true watermelon, but something very like the artificial watermelon flavor you might find in a child's sweet. (But in a good way!)

The first local apple of the year is a surprise and a revelation. By July I am eating apples from Chile and New Zealand, and even they are out of season. Early apples are not usually very good—you wouldn't chose one like them in peak season—-but they are unmistakably New England. The first bite promises delights to come. Today's fruit, a Vista Bella, was the first and only only apple at Farmers Market. There are many types of summer apples, each of which have a short season. I won't be surprised if these are gone next week. Vista Bella is pretty: brilliant green, like a Granny Smith or Pippin, with a deep red blush. The fruit is slightly ribbed, which adds to its overall attractiveness.