Adam's Apples

I'm not certain today's apple is the true English Russet and would welcome any suggestions about that from my readers.  ¶  I do love a mystery . The above combination of rosy blush, light brown russet, and green-tinged yellow (in the unblushed peel) makes this sample a complex visual treat.

What a handsome apple! Mine is at the smaller end of large. It's somewhat oblate with a classical shape and a streaky red blush.  ¶  The dark streaks are a deep red and there are crackles of russet spilling over the stem well and running down the sides. The lenticel dots are nearly impossible to see. Let's see how this American variety fares when grown in English apple country.

My sample is a small medium, a classically conical apple with very subdued ribbing. It wears a pure red blush with saturated streaks over pale yellow.  ¶  The tiny light lenticel dots are raised bumps, easier to feel than see.  ¶ 

Egremont Russet is regularly available in supermarkets in the United Kingdom, and the sample in my first photo is one I found in London.  ¶  Its appearance, the rough golden brown with a bit of mustard yellow peeping though, was typical of the Egremonts I saw.  ¶  However, my freshest and best example was the one from Keeper's Nursery , and it looked just a little different.

A russeted sport of Norfolk Royal, mine is medium sized, classically shaped, and slightly oblate.  ¶  This apple features a partial red blush that is quite saturated in places over a pale yellow that is echoed by a pale olive-gold russet. It's hard to say, but I think the russet interrupts the blush and accounts for the more subdued pink areas surrounding the saturated red. The effect is very striking. The apple is modestly but definitely ribbed. 

Herefordshire, on the Welsh border, is a name to conjure with in apple and cider circles .  ¶  This apple wears a thin golden brown russet over yellow-green fruit  that has a small rosy pink blush.  ¶  It is medium sized and tapered. Are those dots lenticels or specs of russet (or both)?

Well, I had to try this one, didn't I?  ¶  Adams Pearmain is very tapered and somewhat ribbed, with distinctive "chins" (or " mammiform crown base protuberances " if you like) at the base.  ¶  The shape resembles that of a Red Delicious, though even more elongated and not as ribbed. The size is also about the same.

I learn something from every apple, and now Captain Kidd teaches what the Brits mean by "pear-drop flavour." My sample grew in Kent, in the United Kingdom.  ¶  But in the end I chalk this tasting up as anomalous. You'll see why. The Captain comes in a variety of shapes, not necessarily symmetrical (see photo), but the one I am tasting is distinctly conical with very little ribbing. It is on the small side of medium. 

I have two fire-engine-red RubyRush, medium and large. They are round with a little flattening at the poles.  ¶  A small less-blushed spot on the back is orange over yellow, and the shallow calyx well is yellow green, around an open calyx. Faint but noticeable lenticel dots add visual interest. The stem is thin and shares some color from the blush. No ribbing to speak of.

These orange-tinged-red–blushed apples are wide and oblate, with tan lenticels that are occasionally filled in with something dark.  ¶  There is modest ribbing, and a wonderful sweet aroma. The peel is glossy and the underlying color is yellow.

What a marvelous name!  ¶  Derek Mills, who grew today's apples, says they run says medium to large. To prove it he sent me a medium and a large sample.  Good thing! because the first one I tried was decidedly  off. There were issues with both, but I think got a good idea about this apple.

These apples are in the small side of medium, classically shaped and moderately ribbed. There is a very dark red blush on one, covering a pale yellow. The dark blush nearly swallows the lenticels. On the other sample the blush is more of a brick red and displays large lenticels.  ¶ 

Chehalis is a light yellow-green apple blushed about half with a delicate translucent peach. It has a classical shape with a slight taper and barely detectible ribbing.  ¶  Lenticel dots are large and distinct, tiny brown-and-red bullseyes in the blush, a darker green dot elsewhere. Its calyx is slightly parted.

This medium-sized apple has a subdued red blush over spring green, washed out in spots. It is ribbed and from the top describes an imperfect square.  ¶  A stubby stem sits in a shallow well, and in the blush one must peer closely, and in bright light, to see the many tiny light lenticels. Its calyx is closed tight. Northpole feels firm in hand. Let's check out what lies within.

Imperfect translation: Beauty of August My samples of this apple are small. The partial blush, streaky in spots, is a cheerful red over yellow green, decorated with light lenticels in the blush. There's really no ribbing to speak of, and despite a slight taper, the overall impression is round. The stem adds a jaunty note.

Lobo's red streaky blush over spring green suggests a squat, hulking McIntosh , though the blush is more orange and is decorated with many tan lenticels of varying sizes.  ¶  These have partially open calyxes and almost no ribbing. Mine are pretty large.

Not to be confused with Sunrise Magic , an unrelated later-season apple, my Sunrise is decidedly oblate and blocky, with moderate ribbing and an orange red blush that partially covers green yellow.  ¶  Close inspection finds many tiny tan lenticel dots in the blush. They are even harder to find, and green, in the unblushed regions. The calyx is slightly parted on these and there is some russet in the stem well.

This cheerful lemon-yellow apple, prominently ribbed, bears faint honey-sweet aromas. It is blocky and a little lumpy, with a splash of russet spilling from the stem well. The closest thing to a blush is a region or two that is slightly more orange.

This medium-sized apple with its cheerful warm red blush is handsome in all the unconventional ways I admire.  It's ribbed and lumpy and has boldly prominent tan lenticels. There are streaks of russet radiating from the crown.

Today's russet apple wears a jacket of brown with olive tones, rich and warm.  That covers the entire apple. But one sample has an unrussetted patch that shows a subdued red blush over what is probably green. That blush is faintly filtered through perhaps half of the russeted area. These are oblate and medium-sized, with many lenticels raised slightly from the surface.