Fuji

the fuji is a very popular, or at least available, apple. it is very sweet, perhaps even overly sweet, with a nice crisp texture and lots of juice. the fuji’s shortcomings are two-fold: one, as i said, it can be overly sweet; and two, its skin is not awesome. i am not sure if it’s too thick or too chewy or what it is, but it gets in the way. i have a couple more of these in the fridge, and i’m thinking i’m going to skin those before i eat them.

the verdict:

this time we have EIGHT varieties of apple to go over. i hope you’re hungry. as usual. all eight come from devoto gardens, though the next installment will feature apples from another farm. till then though, you’ll have to make do with the spitzenberger, best ever, rome, winesap, fameuse, sierra beauty, davisson, and swaar.

Spitzenberger

they say the spitzenberger was thomas jefferson’s favorite apple, and i can see why. i may have my problems with him, but i can respect his love for this crisp and flavorful little fucker. it just has a lot going on, sweet and tart in a beautiful dance.

big thumbs up.

the verdict: PUT THESE IN YOUR FACE.

Best Ever

it’s a hard name to live up to, but the best ever…well, it fails.

it’s not the WORST ever. it’s not even a bad apple. but it’s not the best of this batch, much less the best ever. it’s sweet, with a hint of spice. the texture is between crisp and creamy. it’s not mealy, but it also isn’t sharply crisp. it’s juicy, but still a bit subtle flavor-wise.

the verdict: TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT.

Rome

this is a very firm, dry apple with a subtle, sweet flavor. it’s dense with a thick skin. it is known as a cooking apple, and i can believe it. the firmness would hold up under heat, and the run-of-the-mill flavor would improve, and likely mixed with other ingredients.

all in all, not worth getting as an eating apple, but i may try cooking with the two i have left.

the verdict: PUT THESE IN YOUR OVEN.

Winesap

wow. for some reason i didn’t think i was going to be that fond of winesaps, but they surprised me. they have a great texture, very crisp and firm. and the flavor is intense, complex, sweet and tart and spicy. the skin has a bit of a bitter bit to it, which adds to the complexity of the flavor.

marvelous.

the verdict: PUT THESE IN YOUR FACE.

Fameuse

this is a decent apple, but it didn’t knock my socks off. nice texture, crisp and a little dense. pleasantly juicy, with a sweet flavor that doesn’t overpower you. but not a hint of tartness to it, leaving the fameuse a little on the bland side.

maybe i’ll give it to mario and see how he likes it.

the verdict: TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT.

Sierra Beauty

this local(ish) apple from boonville (love that place!) is awesomely tart and crispy. tender and juicy, the only real weakness i see is a thin skin. i like skin that’s a bit heartier. but i am digging it, and will definitely buy more next week.

mario, stay away from these.

the verdict: PUT THESE IN YOUR FACE.

Davisson

this big fucker is crispy and sweet. and big. the flavor has a bit of cinnamon or something to it that gives it a bit more complexity than i gave it credit for on the first bite. tender and juicy. you know, i’m now halfway through this apple and i like it more with every bite. it’s dense but still juicy. it has a substantiality to it that i like.

for an apple pretty far on the sweet side of the spectrum, this is pretty good.

the verdict: PUT THESE IN YOUR FACE.

Swaar

the swaar is quite distinctive. it is incredibly dense and firm, almost woody. it’s closer to dry than to juicy, with a sweet, almost floral flavor. i can’t figure out what it is, but i’m just not crazy about this apple. frankly, this edition of APPLES TO APPLES took as long as it did because i didn’t feel like reviewing this apple. but here we are.

the verdict: TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT.

i am currently waiting for my flight home to board, early and with plenty of time to eat and think about apples. besides, we only have two new varieties to deal with this week: northern spy and the mystery apple.

will we solve the mystery? read on to find out!

(HINT: no, we won’t.)

Northern Spy

this is the larger of the two apples in this week’s batch, but bigger doesn’t always mean better. like now.

the northern spy has a good, not excellent, texture, and a mostly sweet flavor that i’m not all that crazy about. it’s juicy and pretty crisp, which is nice, but if you’re looking for a complex interplay of sweet and tart, keep on looking.

the verdict: TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT.

Mystery Apple

the good folk at devoto gardens don’t know where the mystery apple came from, or what its identity/parentage is. after eating several of these little buggers, i am no closer to that information.

here’s what i can say. the mystery apple looks a lot like the northern spy, but tastes a lot like…well, something better than a northern spy. it’s tart and juicy and intense. it’s dense and it’s crisp. definitely a good apple.

the verdict: PUT A FEW OF THESE IN YOUR FACE.

Overall Impression

i’ve said it before and i’ll say it again. in fact, it will probably be a running theme the next few weeks. my overall take on this week’s apples? BUY MUTSUS AND EAT THEM NOW.

it’s like janis sang, man. you gotta get it while you can.

Hawaiian

now, if you know anything about me and my family, you know i have a soft spot for hawai’i and most things hawaiian. my dad grew up in honolulu, and we still have a lot of ohana out there. we try to visit as much as we can.

that being said, i’m not all that crazy about hawaiian apples. for one thing, they’re not actually hawaiian. they were developed in sebastopol. their name comes from a tropical tinge to their flavor.

for another thing, they’re pretty much purely sweet. as you know by now, this is not my favorite kind of apple. and the hawaiian’s flavor isn’t very strong; that is to say, there’s not much of it. but this is quite a crisp and juicy apple—points in its favor. and the flavor isn’t bad, it’s just a little boring. this would be a great apple for children, or people like mario.

the verdict: PUT ONE OR TWO IN YOUR FACE.

Ozark Gold

nope. no sir. didn’t like it.

the ozark gold is not wholly dissimilar to the hawaiian. both are crisp and juicy. both are closer to subtle (or bland) than they are to intensely flavorful. but where the hawaiian can ride its texture and juiciness to overcome its flavor weakness, the ozark gold cannot. why? because unlike the hawaiian’s, the ozark gold’s flavor is just bad. it’s not overly sweet, which is where most apples with bad flavors land. the ozark’s flavor is hard to describe, but i’m going to go with sour. not tart. sour.

i simply found this apple unpleasant.

the verdict: KEEP THESE AWAY FROM YOUR FACE.

Jonagold

i bought a lot of mutsus this week. that was my primary eating apple, and i got only enough of the others to taste and review. the apple i got the fewest of? jonagold. neither the golden delicious nor the jonathan is high on my list of apples, and this sounded like a cross between them. (subsequent reading would prove my guess right.)

but, to my surprise, the jonagold was my favorite apple this week (non-mutsu division). it is crisper than i remember the jonathan, and had by far the most intense and complex flavor of the three. now, don’t make too much of that. it can’t touch a mutsu or ashmead’s kernel. but in a weak week, the jonagold stood out as a crispy, flavorful, juicy apple that mixed sweet and tart well. it definitely proved me the fool for getting only two.

the verdict: PUT A FEW OF THESE IN YOUR FACE.

Cinnamon Spice

this sweet apple does indeed have a hint of spice to it. it’s a subtle flavor—not super intense, but quite tasty. the flesh is firm and dense. it’s not especially juicy, but it’s not dry, either.

in all, an interesting variety worth trying, but not one i’d overload on.

the verdict: TRY THESE WITH YOUR FACE.

Empire

last year, i wasn’t always sure which apples i liked because i wasn’t always sure which apples were which. they looked similar enough that, without a cheat sheet, i couldn’t tell them apart. this year, i’ve been careful to keep the varieties separated and labeled. this has paid off for the empire, which went from “one of the red apples” to one of my favorites of the past couple weeks.

the empire has just enough flavor—not bland but not overpowering—with a nice balance of tart and sweet. it’s crunchy and crispy. it’s just a damned solid apple, and one that i’ll be sure to buy several of whenever i see it.

the verdict: PUT THESE IN YOUR FACE.

Ida Red

this one is very tart. it’s supposed to be big on crunch, but mine was, while crisp, more creamy than crunchy. i can see why it is favored for cooking. a decent apple, but not my favorite.

mario would hate it.

the verdict: PUT ONE OR TWO IN YOUR FACE.

Jonathan

this is a decent apple. one of its best attributes is that it’s very juicy. good sweet flavor. not mealy, but not crunchy; another creamy apple. in other words, of a middling texture.

for me, if it’s going to err on the sweet side of the sweet-tart spectrum, an apple needs to have a really good texture. the jonathan doesn’t.

the verdict: TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT.

Kidd’s Orange Red

the kidd’s orange red is a cross between a red delicious and a pippin. that should have been enough warning for me, but i have a soft spot for pippins, and i’ve seen good apples with a delicious on one side of the family tree.

not the kidd’s red orange, though. it’s light, not dense at all. its flavor is purely sweet, without any tartness or complexity to speak of. it’s also reasonably juicy, which is a plus.but the texture? blech. it’s on the wrong side of creamy, decidedly taking after its red delicious parentage.

the verdict: KEEP THESE AWAY FROM YOUR FACE.

Mutsu

ok. the mutsu is, straight up, probably my single favorite apple of all time. wonderful crunch and crispiness, a firm skin, intense flavor that blends sweet and tart in just the right proportions. i can literally eat pounds of these every week.

the verdict: PUT ONE OR TWO IN YOUR FACE.

Red Golden

i.

hate.

this.

apple.

hate it. worst apple of the season so far. mealy. overly sweet. the demon offspring of two horrible apples.

hate it.

the verdict: KEEP THESE AWAY FROM YOUR FACE.

Stayman Winesap

this nice little apple is firm, juicy, and tart. its flavor is not very intense; it could use a little more punch. still, not bad.

the verdict: PUT ONE OR TWO IN YOUR FACE.

Golden Supreme

the golden supreme is another in the line of sweet, crisp apples. it’s light and juicy. the flavor is sweet but not overpowering. in fact, it’s a little too light. i’d like it to pack a little more punch. i bet this would be a great after-dinner palette cleanser.

the verdict: PUT ONE OR TWO IN YOUR FACE.

Gala

the gala is also essentially a sweet apple, but it has some tartness to it, as well. a nice interplay of flavors, and neither overpowering nor oversubtle. to be honest, i liked it more than i expected to. i should have bought more than the three i got.

the verdict: PUT THESE IN YOUR FACE.

Honeycrisp

i liked the honeycrisp when i first met it a few years ago, and expected it to be one of my favorites this week. instead, it ended up near the bottom. not a bad apple, but disappointing.

like the gala, the honeycrisp is a combination of crisp, sweet, and tart. it has one main advantage over the gala: it’s juicier by a fair margin. but i was surprised to favor the gala’s flavor. the honeycrisp’s flavor was ok, mixing sweet and tart, but the sweetness is a little…i don’t know. immature? maybe it’s a touch of that ‘delicious’ sweetness. and the crisp was not as crisp as it could have been. it felt like the texture fell apart a bit toward the end. all in all, it was not the slam dunk i was expecting/hoping for.

the verdict: PUT A FEW IN YOUR FACE.

Ashmead’s Kernel

this is not the prettiest apple—to be frank, it’s ugly, and not even in the cute way, really—but it is a joy to put in your mouthplace. is a dense, hearty apple that’s by far the most tart of any of this week’s entries. it is SUPER flavorful—the golden supreme’s opposite number on that score. the flavor is intense and complex; i can see why the internets say it’s a good juicing apple. it’s crisp, but not in the light way that the golden supreme is. it has SUBSTANCE. it’s fun, but it’s not frivolous. it’s the real deal.

the verdict: PUT THESE IN YOUR FACE.

Burgundy

a week of seasoning did nothing to put the burgundy in my good graces. it remains unremarkable. it still had too much of the red delicious in it, but this week i noticed it more in flavor than in texture. too sweet, too little…personality.

sad to say, but i am just not a fan of this apple.

the verdict: KEEP THESE AWAY FROM YOUR FACE.

Pink Blush

last week, the pink blush was decidedly unimpressive and ended up at the bottom of my list. this week, it outperformed the burgundy. by a lot. to wit: i finished the pink blush but ate only two thirds of the burgundy. if you like sweet apples, i would give the pink blush a try. it’s crispy (more so than i thought last week) and juicy, with a subtle, sweet flavor. it doesn’t have the tartness and complexity that i prefer, but it’s not all red deliciousy. and it’s not overwhelming at all. the crispness and juiciness make a much stronger impression than the flavor. lots and lots of juice. decent apple.

the verdict: PUT A FEW INTO YOUR FACE.

Sad News

Here is some sad apple news from this week.

Pink Pearl

the most striking thing about the pink pearl is also the least important: these little guys are bright pink on the inside. with a distinctive rosy skin, pink pearls have a unique visual style, but that’s no reason to eat them. the reason to eat them is the crisp, crunchy texture and the powerful flavor. get ready for some tartness. (mario, avoid this apple.)

the verdict: PUT THESE IN YOUR FACE.

Hubbardston Nonesuch

of the five varieties, i think the nonesuch wins for flavor. it’s complex, a nice combination of sweet and tart. devoto describes it as a classic new england apple. cant say i know what that means, but it tastes good. i think the flavor is both interesting and, well, i guess the word would be accessible. i think it would appeal to a broad range of tastes, without appealing to the lowest common denominator.

where i think it falls a little short is on texture. it’s dense but not very crisp. definitely wouldn’t describe it as mealy, but not the kind of crispity crunchity that i love in an apple. still, worth eating.

the verdict: PUT THESE IN YOUR FACE.

Burgundy

i was not so crazy about the burgundy. it has pretty good flavor, sweet and tangy, but nothing very special. the texture was what was missing for me. it’s too close to the mushiness of a red delicious. really, it’s just a hint of that. but it’s enough that it comes up short when stacked up against apples like the pink pearl and the gravenstein.

the verdict: TAKE THEM OR LEAVE THEM.

Arkane

the arkane apple is just kind of boring. it’s not a lot different than the burgundy, but i enjoyed it a little less. a difference in degree more than in kind. but i think mine may not have been fully ripe. the arkane is not meant to be sour at all, and mine definitely had a little sour to it. (not that i necessarily mind sour.) the texture was a little further toward the mushy end of the spectrum.

the verdict: KEEP THESE AWAY FROM YOUR FACE.

Pink Blush

the pink blush was my least favorite apple this week. it’s not a bad apple, like the red delicious. it’s just not an especially good apple. it doesn’t have a lot of flavor, and the flavor it has is sweet, kind of fuji-ish—not my favorite. i prefer some tartness and complexity in my apples. the thing the fuji has going for it is its wonderful crispness. the pink blush doesn’t quite have that. it’s not mealy. it’s just not crisp enough.

the verdict: KEEP THESE AWAY FROM YOUR FACE.

i get almost all of my apples from devoto gardens, and they surprised me this week by having the first gravensteins of the season. i took them home, and am now enjoying putting them in my face. (i was sad to read that gravensteins are in danger.)

i’d call these mostly tart with a touch of sweet. the texture is crisp, but light. not super dense. lots of flavor, plenty of juice. it is somewhat similar to a granny smith, but it’s not as dense and its flavor is not as strong.

the verdict: PUT THESE IN YOUR FACE.

UPDATE

okay, i just invented something. gravensteins, freshly shelled english peas, bacon, onion, ginger, sherry, and chili peppers. oh, and salt, of course.

i think this might be amazing. sweet from the peas, savory from the bacon, tart from the apples, spicy from the chilis. this is kinda killer.

A new dish.