Williams is too understated to thrive in today's sugar-crunch market, but it was prized in the first half of the 19th Century. One might also say that Williams (not to be confused with Williams' Pride ) delivers some of the qualities promised, but rarely fulfilled, by Red Delicious , which it in some ways resembles. My sample is on the small end of large with pronounced ribbing. The cheerful red blush over green is not so much streaky as spotted, like ripples spreading on a pond. In this background the small light lenticels are not obvious.
An amateur explores the pomaceous fruit