Adam's Apples

In my part of the world, the answer to this is blindingly simple. Vista Bella In July, buy whatever you can, if it's local. And rejoice. Usually, the first apples that are ready to eat here are Vista Bellas. Last year we had some Jersey Macs for sale on July 15. They were unripe but I found I preferred them that way. This year, when the growing season has been so crazy, who knows? Early apples do not keep, so buy them in small batches and eat them quickly. You can also read my look back at July.

June is when memories of last year's harvest season bend into anticipation of the next. But though the mental storehouse is richly stocked, the actual cupboard is nearly bare. Continue to look south this month as the later part of the Fall harvest arrives from Chile and New Zealand and thereabouts. The traditional vinous Northeastern varieties, Empire and McIntosh, have become attenuated shadows of their true selves. I've been especially enjoying some Chilean Granny Smiths that can't be too long off the tree. When these are good they are very good indeed. Last June we had the pleasure of Autumn Greetings from Argentina; we'll see if they return. But mostly, in June memory looms large.

In the nick of time, at the end of April the first apples from the Southern Hemisphere come thundering into supermarkets like the cavalry riding to rescue in an old Western. These varieties, reliables like Braeburn and Gala, grow here too, but they've been off the tree for half a year and are getting tired. Meanwhile it's harvest time in New Zealand and Chile; these fresher fruits will have to sustain us until local trees start bearing at the end of July.

Despite its "April" title, this post might be helpful from December through July, if you are missing your favorite apples. If your favorite is available year round, like Red Delicious or Braeburn, you might still want to try something a little different. If you like Try Because McIntosh , Macoun , Gravenstein , Winesap , & similar Empire Though not complex, crisp Empire, with its berry and vinous notes, is like a generic version of these classic varieties. Honeycrisp , Melrose , Melrouge Pacific Rose , Fuji Light, sweet, and crisp. Rhode Island Greening , Newtown Pippin Granny Smith Authoritative tang. ...

At the start of this month I called March the bleakest in the apple year, so far from the harvest and all the keepers gone. But events proved me wrong. Lady Alice,  available here for the first time, is  only  sold in March. Blushing Golden Macoun persisted in the supermarkets. Piñata returned. My last Blushing Golden, belatedly discovered and awakened from its suspended animation in my refrigerator, proved sound and sweet. Every year is different and every day brings something new.

Here in North America, unless you have some redoubtable Arkansas Blacks stashed away, March is the bleakest time of the apple year. It's been five months since the harvest, and reenforcement won't arrive from the Southern hemisphere until April. The first local apple is still a season away, leaving most of us with the basic industrial apples from which to choose. Fortunately those are still sound and sweet. My personal five favorites are after the break. Jazz Many similar apples compete at the market this time of year, very sweet, crisp, and dense. Jazz may be the best of this lot for its delicate floral-and-orange-juice flavors. Empire Crisp, vinous, and reasonably well balanced, Empire is most like the classical North-east varieties. Now that Macouns are ending, I'll probably eat a lot...

Piñata Your reports from the field have humbled me. January's post, trying to describe what apple varieties might be available to you, was a mistake. This whole monthly "What to eat" series seemed like a reasonable idea when I began last August and downright brilliant in September and October. New England is a grand place for apples in the fall. But come winter, we New Englanders take our miserable places at the very back of the food queue. The produce-laden trucks come here dead last, and we get the leavin's. Which as we saw comprise 16 different varieties of apples. This is not too shabby. But it's a poor place to stand when advising the rest of the apple-eating world about what is good to eat. I've learned some things nonetheless--with your help. My requests for reports from the field brought news of Winesaps , Jonamacs , and Romes for sale in Virgi...

Of course the answer to this depends on where you live. Here in New England the farmers' markets are done and the question is, what's at the store? We are blessed, if that is the word, with the presence of several major supermarket chains near my neighborhood. Instead of making any particular recommendations about what to eat, this month I'll just survey what is available. Macoun is still available this month After all, you probably know these apples. Still, if you see something you haven't tried before, bite it!

The season is all but over in my part of the world, where "what to eat" is a question of (1) what keepers you've already stockpiled, plus (2) what you choose to buy at supermarkets. Enterprise A few orchards, however, are still selling what they have left, on winter hours. If you get the chance, you might still be able to stockpile some good keepers for the month. Here's my report on how some of them fared last winter. Phil's, in Harvard, was still picking apples the week of Thanksgiving, though I don't imagine that will go on much longer. He will have his excellent unpasteurized cider, and crisp sturdy Enterprise apples, available through December. Ambrosia This time of year I extend my love affair with fragile Macoun at the supermarkets. The quality can be very good. In the past markets have...

From October's explosive bounty, the transition to November is stark. One week there might be nearly a score of choices at the market. Next week the harvest is in, the apples are picked, and the market is closed until June.* There are still late season choices, at orchards, in supermarkets, and at the farmers markets (mostly in cities) that remain open. Not everything has been picked, and much of what has been picked keeps well. Early November is also a chance for a last bite at varieties that don't do well in storage, at least not the storage that you or I can provide . Sometime this month the quality of the Macouns in supermarkets, industrially stored, will surpass that of those available from the farmers who grew them.

October roars in like a pride of lions—at least in terms of the breadth of choice in what you can pick or buy at the orchard, farm stand, or farmers market. By Halloween, however, the riot of choices will have dwindled. In the mean time, enjoy! McIntosh and Macoun, king and queen of autumn, belong at the top of any list of apples to buy this month, at least in the Northeast. Indeed these beauties are at peak now, depending on where you live. What are you waiting for? Also towards the beginning of the month it is worth seeking out Cox's Orange Pippin , the more so if you have never had the pleasure. This variety is wonderfully complex and satisfying.  Cox keeps well, and is said to improve with some time in storage, but their harvest is very soon--and they go fast. October is a great month for heirlooms, keepers, and winter apples--which will be harvested today and eaten int...

September is a transition month. Some orchards don't grow any early apples. But by the end of the month high season is well underway. Some of last month's picks are still in season. I was surprised to find some good Gravensteins at Nagog Hill Orchard yesterday, and there are Gingergolds and Zestars. Opalescent I also look forward to finding more Tydeman's , reviewed last week, and handsome, elegant Opalescent, one of my favorites from last September. The big event of September, however, has to be the debut of Macintosh and Macoun, two magnificent apples with rival fan clubs. (You can compare them side by side and judge for yourself.)

It's still early days for apples, of course, but at least in New England there will be some interesting choices at the markets as early as next week. I will be on the lookout for four varieties this month.