“Apples of North America: 192 Exceptional Varieties for Gardeners, Growers, and Cooks”
By Tom Burford; Timber Press, 300 pages
I’ve been thinking about apple pie quite a bit lately. No doubt the forthcoming Thanksgiving dinner has influenced my thoughts. After all, a post-turkey nibble must include a slice of homemade apple pie. I mean no disrespect to the traditional pumpkin pie, but a juicy, tart apple pie is the apple of my eye at this time of year.
Speaking of apples, it has been a pleasure — and a pain, I must admit — to be the caretaker of multiple apple trees at our home in the country. Each spring I delight in spotting the first apple blossoms; in early summer tiny, round “apple-lets” show promise of the fruit to come; then, by late summer or early fall, I begin to panic at the abundance of fruit.
Neighbors, passers-by, and deer help us with the bounty, but it can still be overwhelming. An orchard — even a small one — requires a lot of maintenance. Yet, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
What I would like to know is what kind of apples our trees produce. I believe we have at least three different varieties: yellow, soft-fleshed apples that ripen in early summer; small, crab apple-like fruit that makes good cider; and my favorite — a late autumn beauty that slowly changes from bright green to a lovely blush of pink and red, and whose crisp flesh has the perfect blend of sweet and tart.
