Adam's Apples

In case you missed them. 1. Best "new" variety Reine de Reinettes My favorite "new" apple of the past year is Reine de Reinettes . (New to me: she is hundreds of years old!) This apple's wonderfully complex pallette of flavors really bowled me over. (Not to mention the etymological digression .) Sadly I only got two, so I hope to find more of these beauties next fall.

For the second year in a row, apples have been ranked as the worst-contaminated produce by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group. The finding, like last year's , is based on tests by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Federal Drug Administration that found that 98% of conventional apples have pesticide residues.

Reine  is French for "Queen." So a literal translation of  Reine de Reinettes  (an excellent apple) must be something like, Queen of the, um, what, exactly? Reine de Reinettes Little queens? Princesses? Frogs?

Bubblegum-flavored apples, anyone? To be specific, how about an apple of indeterminate type, vintage, and origin, imbued through some proprietary process with either bubblegum, pomegranate grape, or "Tropical Storm" flavor, and marketed to kids and, I suppose, parents as a healthy snack?

Macoun in autumn Even in a good year, the delightful Macoun cannot be had for love or money after the end of March. Yet I am eating one today at the tail end of May. It's a wonderful apple in inferior shape, and eating one today is both rewarding and disappointing. Nonetheless I eat for pleasure and by choice, not from obligation or loyalty.

Part of the orchard at Hutchins Farm on May 13 The last time I visited Hutchins Farm in Concord (Mass.), it was April and the orchard was just beginning to blossom. I returned earlier today to find the trees all set, gay blossoms put away, earnestly laboring (one hopes) to bring forth fruit this fall.

So, what makes an apple an heirloom? Or antique? Is it just a matter of seniority, or is there more to it than that?