North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Charles Paradise <machelp@attglobal.net>]

My opinion:

I don't know any apple botany but...

Lady apple is an ancient [even Roman times?] domestic apple variety.
A crab apple tastes like a crabapple.
Liberty apple has a slight crab taste and a crab was used to introduce 
disease resistance.
Crabs should not be judged by size at all.
      for example, there's a variety called "Giant Russian Crab" very large
Fancy apples should not be judged by size at all.
      example Lady apple.
Many crabs produce perfect crops in conditions which would result in no crop 
for fancy eating
apples.

Again I don't know my apple botany but if an apple is primarily Malus 
Domestica I don't think it
should be called a crab regardles of its size.

Crab apples can taste great.  The flavor is generally more intense.  Do you 
like intense?

Charlie Paradise
zone 5 / Massachusetts