North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Kieran or Donna" <redherring@tnaccess.com>]

I got a call from a little old lady last week asking me to come pick some
apples.  I'd picked up apples from under another apple tree in her yard a
few years ago, and
well, you know how us NAFEXers can entertain people, so naturally she
thought of me when the other tree outdid itself this year. I could hardly
put a foot down under the tree without stepping on apples.  I tasted one,
and
my first thought  was, "This is a pretty sorry excuse for an apple."  I
tried a few more, from slightly yellow to mostly green, (it doesn't change
color much) and still there was no acid, and not much taste.  I picked up
about 5 gallons of them off the ground, and by the time I was done, I was
thinking I'd make some bland wine to blend with the plum wine I'd started,
to tone down the acid a bit, and I'd make some cobblers and pies that for
once my husband could not complain about being too sour.  They'd be good in
curries too, so we had to stop at our friends house and get some nice
organic beefalo for the curry.  I gave them a bunch of apples, and she got
out the salt.  I never ate salt on apples, and had to admit it was good.
She gave me a bunch of eggplant from another old lady, and we headed home,
my head teaming with recipe ideas.
       I've read that the point of the sweet nonacid apples was to cut down
on the need for sugar.  I think they could simply serve as a substitute for
sugar. The curry was great, and my husband loved the cobbler I made.  I
myself ate 5 apples raw (with salt) before breakfast this morning, and at
least that
many while cooking yesterday.  They aren't all that big, but I don't know of
any other apples I would eat that many of.  They don't have all that much
taste, they aren't real crisp, but don't get mushy (don't lose shape in
cooking either) and they are pretty juicy.  I got to thinking about some
NAFEXer up north who had an article in Pomona offering an apple he had
raised.  He said it
wasn't a high flavored apple, was not at all striking, but that a person
could easily eat 3-5 of them without thinking about it.  This apple is like
that, though I expect his is better.  Another advantage of this one is a
nice thin skin that's fine to leave on in cooking, like the summer apples
have.  It's only been 36 hours, and already my
opinion has changed 180 degrees.  I actually think I know where there are 3
more trees of it, I picked a few apples off the ground a few years ago, and
was not a bit impressed, especially as
the first year they were a bit bitter.  I remember the owners were really
proud of the trees, and I thought they were crazy.  I thought the only
reason such trees would have been planted would be for blending for hard
cider.
    Now I am wondering if maybe I ought to graft a tree for myself.  Another
nice thing about it is that it's coming on during that lull between the
early and the late apples. I don't see any CAR on the tree, not that that
means much in town.  They do have some apple maggot, which surprises me,
because though I do find them here, I don't notice them all that often.  I
wonder, do they tend to hit only apples from a certain time of year, or can
they get all varieties from early to late?  I don't see any codling moth,
but that too is hit or miss here.  Mostly hits, but not always.
    Does anyone have any clues as to what variety it might be?  One thing
peculiar about it is that not only are some of the fruit flattish, but the
concave area on the bottom is large, and the lower curve up to the cavity
more of a corner than a curve.  Donna TN z6



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