Adam's Apples

Out in San Diego—far from dour new England in more than miles—the Fruit Maven holds court. Her stylish, informative blog serves up fruit of all kinds and from different angles: recipes, drinks, even geometry.

I learned of this new apple last Tuesday from a thoughtful reader's comment. Fat chance, thought I, to find it anywhere in my neck of the woods this year. The next morning I read a short blurb about the apple in the Boston Globe; I was able to buy some that afternoon. Update: They were gone without a trace the following Sunday. Short season!

For the past week, I have been munching my way through a bag of about 12 tiny Piñata apples that I got at Trader Joes, a national supermarket chain. (By "tiny" I mean small medium, with diameters of about 2¼ inches.) Piñata is a great new variety with some wild flavors, and these little guys are especially hard and crisp. TJ's touts them as "baby" apples, which is brilliant (if inaccurate) marketing for apples that other retailers likely reject as too small. At this size they are easy to snack on! And very welcome this time of year.

These two luminous bottles arrived last month from Sidral Mundet, which has been making apple soda in Mexico for more than a hundred years. Would I please try some and say what I think? Have I sold out? Does this belong here? My view: It's about apples, it's fair game. You have been duly warned of potential ethical conflicts. Not much else on this time of year anyway. I am not a big soft-drink person, but have been known to spring for a bottle of Mexican soda (I like the lime) with Mexican food. Compared to that, the Sidral (the tawny amber stuff, made with actual apple juice) is mild and unassuming, but quite good. The green-apple Manzana Verde is similar.

In 2011, as in previous years, the apples were great, but the best part was the people. This fall I met Southern California nurseyman and blogger Kevin Hauser (he of Apples and Oranges) and his charming wife. "Met" as in the real world (heard of it?); Kevin took his apple vacation in New England this year. I also met and swapped apples with Maine orchardist David D'Angelo and his girlfriend, of Hawk Farm. I got the better end of that exchange. These are all folks I first connected with right here.

This Dutch apple has an attractive dark orange-red blush over a muted green that blends with sandpaper-colored russet. Large lenticels are similarly russeted. I've only got one sample, a large medium or small large, but have no idea how typical its size may may be. Karmijn de Sonnaville is an offspring of the exceptional Cox's Orange Pippin and shares some of its qualities. The flesh is fine grained and light yellow, and the flavors are balanced but with some acidity. Some Cox-like flavors, such as orange and mango, pair with a peppery spiciness.

David D'Angelo of Hawk Farm in Maine gave me a few of these earlier this year, the best examples I have had yet. I'm not replacing my 2010 tasting notes for Black Oxford, but here is a post script. These were nice and dark, a deep red with both purple and mahogany overtones. Many light lenticels of varying sizes are sprinkled across the dark like stars in the night sky. Biting in shows dense white flesh with streaks of red from the richly colored peel.