Adam's Apples

The price of apples has come down by more than 13 percent from a year ago, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.  ¶  The US Council of Economic Advisers, which created the above chart from numbers compiled by the BLS, also noted that "the level of grocery prices is high relative to before the pandemic."  ¶ 

Nobody is home at Nagog Hill Orchard yesterday.  ¶  I took refuge from a passing shower in the shed where Nagog Hill Orchard once sold its apples.

Two blossoms cling to clay-splattered branches at Hutchins Farm in Concord, Massachusetts, yesterday.  ¶  In this part of New England, spring typically begins with weeks of chilly weather that holds the blooming trees suspended under glass.  ¶  That is followed by a sudden onset of days that are not merely warm but hot. The change is abrupt. The blossoms fall from the trees and boom, it's summer.

Do you like the new look?  ¶  I have upgraded the software behind this site. If you spot problems here, please let me know.  ¶  The new software improves the experience here for mobile users. According to Google, two thirds of the visits to this website are from people using their phones. I hope I have managed this improvement without degrading the experience on desktop. My own testing suggests that nearly everything still works, though some things work differently.

Crisp, reliable Fuji was Honeycrisp before there was Honeycrisp.  ¶  Fuji's development in Japan was interrupted by World War II, and the apple was not released until 1962.  ¶  Today it is a mainstay, available in supermarkets year round. Fuji accounts for about 25% of US apple production , behind only Gala and Red Delicious. It's easy to understand the appeal of this crisp and delicately flavored apple. Some Fuji fans would never eat anything else. But my mission is to lure you out of the rut you may not know you are in. If you are curious, give these Fuji-adjacent apples a try.

There are buds on the branches of the apple trees today at Hutchins Farm in Concord, Massachusetts. A line of younger apple trees is visible in the distance.  ¶  After a week of sleet and snow, yesterday's eclipse seemed to mark a change in the weather and the start of spring.  ¶ 

I've been enjoying, of all things, Gingergold apples that I found in a local supermarket.  ¶  Every Gingergold I have ever had has been local and fresh. The commercial space they occupy is pretty far from that contested by Honeycrisp and its pretenders.  ¶  Yet these Gingergolds had clearly been in industrial-grade storage . Each wore a glistening coating of wax . In August, Gingergold is refreshing and light, sweet and a little spicy, and very easy to like.