Adam's Apples

My medium-large Golden Delicious is a cheerful yellow tinged with green. It has distinctive dark green lenticels that fade to nearly nothing on the blushed area, which is a faint orange pink. My example is ribbed and conical, with a round ridge of chins at the bottom, and theres a small stellation of russet radiating within the stem well.

A famous cooking apple, sometimes called "Northern Pie," this heirloom is also great for eating and is still enjoyed across the Northeast. Northern Spy is large, very ribbed, and a little gnarly. A streaky red blush mostly covers yellow-green (actually more yellow than green). My example has a small patch of tiny black russet spots, a wen-like extrudence, and numerous small dents and bruises. Most of these are probably from my own ham-handling, but they suggest a sensitive vulnerability.

A famous, fabled apple that many feel is simply the best. And, yes, it is fabulous.  ¶  Cox's Orange Pippin runs medium to medium-large and is round, oblate, and ribbed. The blush is indeed an orange-red, sometimes uneven, over yellow green and with considerable russetting. Brown lenticels freckle the whole surface, which is matte, not glossy. Cox's sits firm in the hand and smells slightly mossy or grassy.

Nor is it every apple I desire, Nor that which pleases every palate best; 'T is not the lasting Deuxan I require, Nor yet the red-cheeked Greening I request, Nor that which first beshrewed the name of wife, Nor that whose beauty caused the golden strife: No, no! bring me an apple from the tree of life! Henry David Thoreau Thoreau asked for apples of the spirit, but many sources say that the Blue Pearmain was one of his earthly favorites.

Ah, Macoun, lady fair! If McIntosh is the king of the New England apples, then Macoun, with its distinctive bouquet, is surely queen.  ¶  Macoun (pronounced "Ma-cow-an") is medium to medium-large and sports a red blush that runs from deep and purplish to streaky over bright green, freckled with small light tan lenticels. The fruit is ribbed—I've had three-lobed Macouns that boasted a triangular horizontal cross-section—but with considerable variation. The stem is short, which poses some problems for growers.

Perhaps the most famous, familiar, and popular of Northeastern apples. Available year-round, though quality varies. Also known as "Mac." They even named a computer after it ( misspelling the name). McIntosh is generally medium-sized and nearly perfectly round, though some show a little ribbing. Its attractive crimson blush can be streaky and is accented with light spots that are larger than most.

Jonathan is very much a classic apple, still justly prized after two hundred years. This medium-sized apple has a striking appearance: a deep purplish crimson sparsely accented by small light speckles in places. It is clasically round with light ribbing.

This McIntosh cross (with Ben Davis, a nearly defunct variety) is prized for salads and fruit cups because it browns only slowly when cut. But doesn't it deserve to be taken seriously for its other qualities? Cortland has been around for more than a century.

Gravenstein, and its sporty red sibling, may be the most sophisticated of the early apples. It has a complex taste and there is a Gravenstein Apple Fair in Sebastopol California every August. The medium-sized, modestly ribbed fruit is mostly green with a streaky red blush and tan spots. Its white-green flesh is firm, crisp and juicy. The taste is a balanced tart-and-sweet, with spice and floral notes. There is a tiny bit of pine towards the finish. Similar to a Red Gravenstein, but not as sweet. The Gravenstein Apple Fair folks provide recipes, history, and other juicy stuff about the Gravenstein.

I got two of these at Lexington's farmers market, one so different from the other that maybe two varieties got confused in the box. I am describing the more traditional-looking of the two (shown): medium sized, yellow-green with a streaky red blush with some faint speckles that you have to look very carefully to see. I had thought my mystery apple might turn out to be one of these, but based on appearance alone I'd say not so even before tasting it.