A is for Apple and I found 36 varieties of Apples with names that begin with A right here. I’ve known about the Arkansas Black and the Arlington Pippin but that was the end of it for me. But there is also the Ambrosia apple, a modern Canadian apple similar to the Golden Pelicious, the American Summer Pearmain Apple, very juicy, the Autumn Gold apple, better than Golden Delicious and obvously, many many more!
I became interested in old apple varieties when I became a regular at my local orchards, Clarkdale in Deerfield and Apex in Shelburne. They have Northern Spy, Gravensteins, Winesaps and many more. I like to buy a bag of ‘pie mix’, several varieties of apple because my applie pie guru, Susan Chadwick, told me the secret of her fabulous pies is different varieties in one pie.
Of course, I am not the only one who is interested in old apples. David Buchanan wrote Taste, Memory about old apples, and other old fruit and vegetable varieties that have been forgotten – almost. Taste, Memory: Forgotten Foods, Lost Flavors and Why They Matter takes us on David’s journey from the Slow Foods Movement to the farms and orchards of Maine where he now lives.
On this journey he met John Bunker in Maine, a man who really knows his apples. He goes hunting for old apples and has written his own book about apple hunting in the orchards of Maine Not Far From the Tree. He is a man of passion with a great sense of humor and great taste buds. I wrote about his visit to Apex Orchard with David Buchanan here
There’s a lot to know about apples like the reason Johnny Appleseed (born not far away in Leominster, Massachusetts, a town also known as the Plastic City) planted apples was because everyone drank cider in those days. And usually not sweet cider. Hard cider! And hard apple cider is another trend in our area. West County Cider in our neighborhood is a great outfit and make wonderful cider including varietals (just like wine) like Baldwin and Redfield, a pink cider made from Redfield apples that have red flesh.
Yes, there is a lot to know about apples. And a blog post is simply not long enough. Think of all the apples that begin with letters besides A. As part of the A to Z challenge I will be posting everyday this month because although there are only 26 letters in the alphabet, I will be adding/publishing Between the Rows every Sunday so there will be 30 posts in a row.
A big shout out and thank you to Arlee Bird who invented A to Z Challenge.
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They don’t begin with A, but gala apples are my favorite. 🙂
I love Autumn Gold applies!
My friendship with apples is only “flavour related”. Great post by the way. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Kate – I love Gala apples for eating fresh, too.
Ghadeer – I’d love to find some Autumn Gold.
Sania – Apples are wonderful! Flavor, beauty and health.
Thanks for the insight on the apples! Enjoy the challenge. – Barbara
Life & Faith in Caneyhead
I eat an apple a day, (McIntosh) usually with Swiss cheese, does that cancel out the benefits?
Great idea, I love gardening, but you are the master!
Gosh, who knew there were that many types of apples? Well, I guess a lot of people did, but I wasn’t one of them. hehe.
For me, pink lady apples are the best!
Hi. I’ve grown Gravensteins in Idaho with success. Yum…now I’m craving a big slice of apple pie. Thanks for an interesting post.
Barbara – The challenge is a lot of fun.
Trisha – Pink Ladies are beautiful and delicious.
Sharon – I love apple pie, apple pan dowdy, baked apples, apple tart . . . . you get the idea.
omg I love apples! Opal is my new favorite.