Adam's Apples

Yes that's snow! March 9 at Hutchins Farm in Concord, Massachusetts.  ¶  Temperatures here shot up from the 20s to the 70s (Fahrenheit) in the past week, so I hopped on my bicycle and peddled through the melt to Concord.

The Cortland apple has an ardent following. In September and October, I like Macs and Macouns, close Cort relations.  Photo: McIntosh (L) and Cortland  ¶  But lately, in February and now March, I have been enjoying Cortland's crisp vinous goodness.  ¶  Let's see how it stacks up agains the Mac at this time of year.

Would you like to know an old-time apple recipe for Norfolk Biffin (or other fruit recipes , some from antiquity)?  ¶  Perhaps you'd be interested in a deep dive into claims that some apples date from Roman times ?  ¶  How about an introduction to apple and pear identification ? From a fellow who grew several score of different apples last fall?

Behold:  ❝ A pineapple fucked a pear and somehow made a baby that looks like an apple. That is the Cox’s Orange Pippin . ❞  or this:   ❝ Maiden’s Blush : Wet sad sandcastle heralds the death of summer, but at least it smells nice, so stick a wick in it and use it as a candle. ❞ 

Three apples rate a star. Two earn two.  ¶  I tasted nine apple varieties for the first time last year.  ¶  Alas, may of my examples were clearly past their prime. Consequently, I'm not able to give them the recognition they probably deserve.  ¶  But first: What's going on? I rate apples every year at this time , using my own qualitative system, one to three stars .

Last fall I was invited to identify some apples growing in a neighbor's yard.  ¶  Not to beat around the tree: these proved to be Northern Spy, something that the home owners had suspected.  ¶  I'm not actually a great apple detective , so just as well! But my payment was a nice ration of these apples, reminding me of how good they are.  ¶  Why did I need to be reminded?

Granny blushes, if you let her.  ¶  You would not know it from prowling the supermarket, however: She is a late apple usually picked too soon.  ¶  Today I will assay one from a local orchard. It was, maybe, allowed to ripen fully, though I am eating it more than a month after it was picked (and publishing this account even later than that, sorry!).