About Beth
I am a freelance writer, based in Pittsburgh, PA, specializing in science and technical topics. Yes, I am available for new writing projects! apples
I post this at (further) risk of Marty calling me an apple snob, but I don't care. It's apple season now, there are a lot of good apples in New York, and antique apples are worth seeking out. I'm lucky that I live near an agricultural research station that specializes in apples, the Cornell Orchards, and several local apple growers who come to the Apple Harvest Festival and to the Farmer's Market. Last year, somebody from the agricultural station gave a talk at the library about apples, and brought plenty to taste. It was, I thought, a rare opportunity to taste some antique apples. Later, I found a few of the same apples at the market, which made me very happy.
One of those apples was the Cox's Orange Pippin, which I found last year from Littletree Orchards. (They called it "Cox Orange"). It's got a certain taste that reminds me of orange flavored pez candy, sort of chalky-sweet with a little bit of tartness.
What caught my eye at the farmer's market was a Kidd's Orange Red (abbreviated "Kidd Orange") from Black Diamond Farm. They didn't know if it was any relation to Cox's, but I bought a few after tasting a sample; it tasted like a Cox Orange. It turns out that Kidd's Orange Red is a cross between Cox's Orange Pippin and Red Delicious. (As we all know from The Botany Of Desire, apples don't breed true; an apple tree grown from seed won't necessarily taste like either of its parents. Most seedling apples are sour, bitter, or both. So it's a big deal to find a good apple, even if its parents are both tasty. The Red Delicious was actually named in a contest, where some apple baron had the name already picked out (the "Delicious"), and held a nationwide search for the best new apple in the US.)
After tasting the Kidd's Orange, I looked up and saw the farm's sign: they specialize in antique apples. Next, I looked to my right and saw Ashmead's Kernel; to the left, and I saw Margil.
Everywhere I've looked it up, Ashmead's Kernel is described as an ugly apple. What gives? It's just as ugly as any other apple: roundish, greenish, appley. It does have russeted skin, but that's pretty normal for antique apples. (Apparently, supermarkets don't like to carry russeted apples. They're missing out.) So the Ashmead's was my favorite of the day: tart and sweet. I seem to like the tart apples, I guess. It's a good one, and reminds me a little of NY674, a newish apple that doesn't have a name yet but is extremely tasty. You can get it from the Cornell Orchard store, but I don't know if it's still in season now.
The Margil is a tiny green French apple, very sweet with no tartness. I wasn't crazy about it, so I only bought about 6 of them (hey, they're small!) Chris liked them.
Yesterday I stopped by Black Diamond again at the market, and they had a bunch of new ones. I brought home a Pound Sweet that was full of water core It was aptly named: weighed a pound, and was sweet and mild. I thought Chris would like it, but he didn't. So I'll mix it with others and make a really good applesauce.
I got a few Roxbury Russets - another tart/sweet apple that's right up my alley. And my favorite that day was the Calville Blanc. This one (aka Caville Blanc) turns out to have been the apple that Thomas Jefferson liked so much he had a bunch of trees shipped over from France and planted at Monticello. It’s got that multi-lobed appearance (there’s a name for it), has a lot of vitamin C (according to rumor, more than an orange), and supposedly doesn’t turn brown when you cut it. (ok, it does a little).
Today Chris came back from the grocery store with a big honker of an apple labeled Stayman Winesap. I tried to cut it with my apple slicer, but it was too big and got stuck. So we passed it back and forth, taking bites. It was a really good apple.
I guess it's only fair, after all this raving about delicious apples, to mention the one antique apple I've had and hated: a Blue Pearmain from the Cornell orchards. It was purple, with tough skin, and had a bland, mushy sort of flavor. Blecch.
One of those apples was the Cox's Orange Pippin, which I found last year from Littletree Orchards. (They called it "Cox Orange"). It's got a certain taste that reminds me of orange flavored pez candy, sort of chalky-sweet with a little bit of tartness.
What caught my eye at the farmer's market was a Kidd's Orange Red (abbreviated "Kidd Orange") from Black Diamond Farm. They didn't know if it was any relation to Cox's, but I bought a few after tasting a sample; it tasted like a Cox Orange. It turns out that Kidd's Orange Red is a cross between Cox's Orange Pippin and Red Delicious. (As we all know from The Botany Of Desire, apples don't breed true; an apple tree grown from seed won't necessarily taste like either of its parents. Most seedling apples are sour, bitter, or both. So it's a big deal to find a good apple, even if its parents are both tasty. The Red Delicious was actually named in a contest, where some apple baron had the name already picked out (the "Delicious"), and held a nationwide search for the best new apple in the US.)
After tasting the Kidd's Orange, I looked up and saw the farm's sign: they specialize in antique apples. Next, I looked to my right and saw Ashmead's Kernel; to the left, and I saw Margil.
Everywhere I've looked it up, Ashmead's Kernel is described as an ugly apple. What gives? It's just as ugly as any other apple: roundish, greenish, appley. It does have russeted skin, but that's pretty normal for antique apples. (Apparently, supermarkets don't like to carry russeted apples. They're missing out.) So the Ashmead's was my favorite of the day: tart and sweet. I seem to like the tart apples, I guess. It's a good one, and reminds me a little of NY674, a newish apple that doesn't have a name yet but is extremely tasty. You can get it from the Cornell Orchard store, but I don't know if it's still in season now.
The Margil is a tiny green French apple, very sweet with no tartness. I wasn't crazy about it, so I only bought about 6 of them (hey, they're small!) Chris liked them.
Yesterday I stopped by Black Diamond again at the market, and they had a bunch of new ones. I brought home a Pound Sweet that was full of water core It was aptly named: weighed a pound, and was sweet and mild. I thought Chris would like it, but he didn't. So I'll mix it with others and make a really good applesauce.
I got a few Roxbury Russets - another tart/sweet apple that's right up my alley. And my favorite that day was the Calville Blanc. This one (aka Caville Blanc) turns out to have been the apple that Thomas Jefferson liked so much he had a bunch of trees shipped over from France and planted at Monticello. It’s got that multi-lobed appearance (there’s a name for it), has a lot of vitamin C (according to rumor, more than an orange), and supposedly doesn’t turn brown when you cut it. (ok, it does a little).
Today Chris came back from the grocery store with a big honker of an apple labeled Stayman Winesap. I tried to cut it with my apple slicer, but it was too big and got stuck. So we passed it back and forth, taking bites. It was a really good apple.
I guess it's only fair, after all this raving about delicious apples, to mention the one antique apple I've had and hated: a Blue Pearmain from the Cornell orchards. It was purple, with tough skin, and had a bland, mushy sort of flavor. Blecch.
To food by Beth on
2006-10-24.
Just another reason to stop by the local farmstand, if you have one.
You might try soaking your apples in water once you bring them home. 3-4 hours of soaking in fresh water tends to crisp up apples which have become a bit mushy.
And I've certainly had red delicious apples which were crisp, so I don't think that it's a genetic defect. (That being said, there are apples which I like much better anyway.)