Jonagold takes Pink Lady to the Gala

I haven't had much time in the past few days to write a post, so here's a review of the 3 different varieties I've tried since I last posted. Unfortunately, I didn't write down notes when I ate them, and my impression of them is starting to become more faint in my memory.

On Thursday, I tried the Pink Lady, whose official name is Cripps Pink. Pink Lady is actually a trademark under which the variety Cripps Pink is marketed. According to OrangePippin (on the "Tasting" tab for Pink Lady), this trademark is used for quality control purposes. Only the Cripps Pink apples that meet certain color and sugar/acid balance standards can be labeled as Pink Lady. The 65% of Cripps Pink apples produced that don't meet the standards are simply labeled by the variety name. Since the sticker on my apple said "Cripps Pink", I guess technically it wasn't a Pink Lady, even though the sign at the supermarket called it Pink Lady. These two names are used interchangeably anyway, since they are the same variety.

The Pink Lady/Cripps Pink has a pinkish to bright red color. When I bit into the apple, the first thing I noticed was the texture. Its insides had a little more resistance than other apples I've tried, until a chunk of it snaps cleanly off the rest of the apple. It's like when you break a piece of styrofoam, there's a little resistance in the beginning, then a sudden clean break. The apple even made a loud snapping sound every time I took a bite. The taste was sweet, but not too tart. I thought the apple was pretty nice tasting, but a little too loud for consumption in the office.

This variety was developed in Australia using the Golden Delicious and Lady Williams. Another variety with the same parentage (a full sibling of Cripps Pink) is the Cripps Red, marketed as Sundowner.

I brought my Gala apple to the office on Friday. In fact, that's the apple that you see pictured above
between the adorable Nemo and Dory salt and pepper shakers. It's got stripes of pink and red with splashes of gold. Unfortunately, part of the apple had some gross moldy stuff growing on it, so I only took a few bites (on the non-moldy side of course) before I decided to throw the apple away. From those few bites, I thought I detected a hint of spice on the surface of the apple. I happened to stop by the grocery store on my way home, so I bought another Gala (along with some other apples I've tried so far that I liked) and ate it that night with my dinner, which consisted of a small steak, Gouda cheese, grilled onions with seasoning, Miso soup, and a few strips of bacon. Yes, I know, I've had bacon with a lot of the apples so far. I recently got the Bacon Wave, and I've been having too much fun with it. Anyways, this time the Gala did not have that hint of spice that I tasted in the first one (or maybe my savory meal was masking it), but it had a nice, crisp skin. The insides were a little mushy, though, and its taste was plain. It had an interesting orange stripe down one side of the apple, as you can see in the picture. Both of the Gala apples I had looked more interesting than they tasted.

The parents of Gala are Golden Delicious and Kidd's Orange Red, making it a half-sibling to Pink Lady. Gala also has many offspring varieties, and you can look at the full list at OrangePippin.

Today, I lunched with Jonagold. The taste was easy and pleasant, but I mostly liked this apple for its crispness. It was a refreshing juicy apple with a mildly sweet flavor. Its size was also slightly larger than the other apples I've had so far, so it was a good portion. I think this variety makes a nice, everyday breakfast apple.

Interestingly, Jonagold is another offspring of Golden Delicious, making it a half-sibling to both Pink Lady and Gala. (Yikes, maybe the title of this post is not so appropriate, then!) So I guess this entry is a nice little family reunion for them. The other parent of Jonagold is, not surprisingly, the Jonathan variety. It's also kind of funny that my Jonagold is literally half red half golden, like someone fused half a Jonathan apple together with half a Golden Delicious. Jonagold has two sports (varieties that are genetic mutations): Excel Jonagold and Jonagored. You can click into these varieties to learn more about them on OrangePippin.


Again, if you go to Stemlit, you can see the ideal wine and cheese pairings for each of these varieties.

Cheese to go with Pink Lady: Gorgonzola, Monterey Jack, Swiss/Emmental, Kasseri, and Port Salut
Wine to go with Pink Lady: Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Gewürztraminer, and Riesling

Cheese to go with Gala: Cheddar, Chevre/Goat Cheese, and Swiss/Emmental
Wine to go with Gala: Malbec, Gewürztraminer, and Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio

Cheese to go with Jonagold: Mascarpone, Fontina, and Cream Cheese (interesting!)
Wine to go with Jonagold: Syrah/Shiraz, Madeira, Late Harvest Wines, and Sauternes


I have now finished 9 of the 10 original apples, and so far I've kept up with having one apple a day (although two of those days were actually devoted to Crazy Apples, not in the original 10). Just one more apple to go!

The Braeburn Bunch

Here is Part 2 of the Crazy Apples Trilogy! Yesterday, I tried my second Crazy Apple, in the Tropical Blast flavor. In case you didn't read the first entry about Crazy Apples, they are apples that are flavored on the inside with natural flavorings. They come in 3 different flavors: Pomegranate Grape (the first one I tried), Tropical Blast, and Bubble Gum.

The Tropical Blast apple that I had yesterday happened to be a Braeburn apple. I must admit, I can't taste much difference between this one and the Pomegranate Grape flavored one. They both taste like the apple juice was swapped out for grape juice. I thought I maybe tasted a hint of pineapple in this one, but it could have been just my imagination. I almost want to believe that they accidentally put a Pomegranate Grape flavored apple in the wrong bag. Maybe I need to taste the two flavors side by side in order to detect the difference. If you decide to try Crazy Apples, let me know how you think the flavors compare with each other.

Since that particular Crazy Apple was of the Braeburn variety, I decided to go ahead and try the normal Braeburn today to see what it really tastes like. Oh, I also found out that there's a My Little Pony called Braeburn, and he has a tiny apple on his rump. Pretty adorable.

According to Stemlit, the Braeburn variety originated from New Zealand, in an orchard near some Lady Hamilton and Granny Smith apples, which have been proposed as possible parents of Braeburn. In fact, if you look at various pictures of Braeburn apples, most of them seem to have green patches or stripes, especially near the top and bottom, which could possibly come from our dear old Granny Smith.

The Braeburn apple I had this morning had the same soft and "soggy" consistency as the Red Delicious. However, it does have a more noticeable flavor than Red Delicious, even though it wasn't very sweet. It must have been a particularly anomalous Braeburn, because according to BestApples.com, "This apple’s rich, sweet-tart, spicy flavor is high-impact. [...] Aromatic, juicy and crisp, this apple is very firm." Yeah, pretty different from the description I just gave. SpecialyProduce says it's "the perfect balance of sweet and just slightly tart with subtle hints of pear and cinnamon." I couldn't pinpoint the taste when I was eating it, but now that I think back, I did taste the subtle hints of cinnamon.

Various sources claim that Braeburn is an ideal cooking apple. In fact, there are recipes that specifically ask for Braeburn. Here's a delicious-looking Braeburn Apple Pie recipe that I found: http://www.reddiwip.com/recipes-Braeburn-Apple-Pie-with-Cinnamon-Infused-Crust-3819.html

Try it and let me know how you like it!

Orangepippin reveals that Braeburn paired up with Gala to have two adorable, bright, peachy-looking offspring, Jazz and Kanzi.

Cheese and Wine pairings from Stemlit:
Cheese to pair with Braeburn: Camembert and Gouda (ooooh)
Wine to pair with Braeburn: Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc, and Riesling

Happy tastings!

Kiss Me, I'm Granny Smith!

The apple I selected this morning was none other than the famous Granny Smith, one of the most recognizable apples in the supermarket. And yes, I did intentionally choose the green apple on St. Patrick's Day. Granny Smith, known for its tartness, originated from Australia. According to Wikipedia, it's believed that the first Granny Smith apple sprang into existence after an old lady named Maria Ann Smith tossed out the cores of some French crab-apples on her farm. (And I used to think the apple was called Granny Smith because its tartness makes you pucker like a granny!) Now these tart green apples have become one of Australia's best-known exports.

I can definitely see why this apple is great to use in cooking, but it's not my favorite to consume by itself. My coworker loves it, but this apple is a little too tart for me. It also has a very thick, tasteless skin, like the Red Delicious. However, unlike the Red Delcious, whose thick skin is soft and "soggy", the skin of the Granny Smith is kind of tough and leathery and not easy to chew. Though apparently the toughness of the skin and the tartness of the flesh provide some health benefits, according to this article on SFGate.

As I mentioned, Granny Smith is a good cooking apple. Its tartness prevents it from browning quickly, so it's ideal in salads and other recipes. And although its tartness could be a bit overwhelming by itself, it could be a great complement to the other flavors in your dish. Since it is St. Patrick's Day, I decided to look for a recipe involving Guinness and apples, and I found this Green Apple Guinness Melt Recipe that looks quite delicious. If you decide to try it, let me know how it tastes! Here's the picture from their webpage:

According to Orange Pippin, Granny Smith is the child of the French crab-apple and possibly Rome Beauty. Its offspring include Lady Williams (possibly with Jonathan as the other parent), who in turn parented the famous Pink Lady (which I will be writing about later this week). That makes Granny Smith the Granny of Pink Lady!

Stemlit gives these cheeses and wines as the ideal pairs for Granny Smith:
Cheese: Gorgonzola and Blue Cheese
Wine: Merlot, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Port, Champagne/Sparkling, and Sauternes

Hmm, I would definitely like to try this with a Port some time! And since today is the day of the Irish, try it with a Guinness as well!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Meet the Deliciouses, Red and Golden

So I told you in my first post that this blog was inspired by my friend who started a business to deliver apples to offices so employees can have a healthy snack option at work. Well, my friend, Megan, has given me permission to talk about her business in my blog. It's called Apple-A-Day, and it services various areas in the state of Washington. They install a mini-fridge in the subscribing office, and every week they will fill the fridge with fresh, locally-grown apples. It's an awesome perk for employees, and in the long run, the company will likely save money on health insurance since employees will be healthier (yes, working for an insurance company does make these kinds of thoughts pop into my head). Plus, a healthy breakfast increases productivity! You can find out more about Apple-A-Day at apple-a-day.com.

Since I didn't have to wake up early on Saturday and Sunday, I had my apple each day as part of my brunch. On Saturday, I had a Red Delicious with a garlic-covered egg, 3-pepper colby jack cheese, and a few slices of crispy bacon. Today, I ate the Golden Delicious along with avocado-eel sushi, crispy bacon, and carrots with spinach cream dip.

Both the Red Delicious and the Golden Delicious are extremely recognizable by their coloring. The image of the Red Delicious, with its deep red hue and angular shape, is probably considered the most prototypical image of the apple in the US. It's the image that comes to mind when you think of an apple sitting on a teacher's desk. In fact, over time apple growers have pushed the Red Delicious to attain this perfect image, at the expense of its taste, unfortunately. The article in the NY Times, which I also had in my post about the Cameo, talks about this predicament.

When I tasted the Red Delicious yesterday, I was a bit disappointed to find that it tasted nothing like how I remembered. It was a bit bland and "soggy". The skin was thick and chewy, and the insides were a bit mushy. It sure was a pretty apple, but didn't taste so great. Maybe I just got a particularly bad one and need a larger sample size

The Golden Delicious, on the other hand, was very tart. The skin was tasteless and was thicker than I would have liked, but this apple definitely had a lot more kick than the Red Delicious. It wasn't quite as juicy as the Fuji, and its flavor was a bit one-dimensional, unlike the more complex Cameo and Fuji varieties. I didn't detect any fleeting hints or undertones or aftertastes. The sweetness of each bite was uniform and unchanging, to the point where it got a little boring. As a wine lover, I crave the subtle notes that add to the complexity of the taste, so a single uniform flavor isn't gonna score too high with me. If you like sweet and simple, this is the apple for you.

I ate both of these apples as part of a meal, rather than a standalone breakfast, so the interference of other food could have possibly masked the more subtle tastes of these apples. Also, remember that these opinions are based on a sample size of just one apple per variety.

Specialtyproduce.com says that the Red Delicious offers a "mildly sweet flavor and slightly flora aroma", and that the skin contains many antioxidants.
It says that the Golden Delicous can range from sweet to bland, depending on where it is grown. Colder climates create a sweeter apple, while warmer climates lower the acidity of the apple, resulting in a blander taste.

Red Delicious is a sport (genetic mutation) of Delicious, an old American variety. Golden Delicious, which is actually not related to Red Delicious, is believed to be descended from Grimes Golden, another old American variety. The list of descendents of both of these are a bit long, so if you're curious you can look on their webpages:
http://www.orangepippin.com/apples/golden-delicious
http://www.orangepippin.com/apples/red-delicious
You can click on each of the listed ancestors and descendants and find out more about them, and even trace the apples up or down a few generations.

From Stemlit:
Cheeses that pair well with Red Delicious: Cheddar, Camembert, and Provolone
(Funny, because I had cheddar with each of the other apples, but I had the 3-pepper colby jack instead with the Red Delicious.)
Wines that pair well with Red Delicious: Cabernet Sauvignon and Chianti

Each of the above cheeses and wines have bold flavors, so I guess they're intended to make up for the blandness of the Red Delicious.

Cheeses that pair well with Golden Delicious: Camembert, Brie, and Gruyere
Wines that pair well with Golden Delicious: Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Sauvignon Blanc, and Champagne/Sparkling

Alright, that's all I have for now about the Red Delicious and Golden Delicious. I admit I was a little disappointed in both, but no apple-tasting would be complete without these two well-known, extremely recognizable American classics.

Fabulous Fuji (and Crazy Apples!)

Before I get into the Fuji variety, which I randomly eeny-meeny-miny-moed as my second apple yesterday, I'm gonna talk about the Crazy Apple I tried today, which was not one of the original ten apples I got. I discovered these Crazy Apples for $1 each, also at Kress IGA. Basically, they're apples that are flavored on the inside with natural flavorings. You can read more about them on their website. They come in three flavors: Pomegranate Grape, Tropical Blast, and Bubble Gum (not sure what natural flavorings they use to make this one). The website says these are in every way just normal apples, except for the natural flavoring which has no added sugar. Apples are yummy just the way they are, but I have nothing against a little experimentation, and I was curious enough to give them a try. Plus, if I'm gonna write a blog about apples, I might as well venture out beyond just the traditional ones.

Here are my Crazy Apples. They come in individual bags, and are smaller than the average apple (maybe around three quarters the size of the other apples I bought).

The one I tried today was the Pomegranate Grape flavored one. According to the sticker on the apple, it was a Cameo. I bit into the apple, and a sweet burst of grape flooded my taste buds. It was a bit of a trippy experience. It had the same texture and everything as an apple, but it was like the apple juice had been swapped out for sweetened grape juice. My coworkers were grossed out by the idea, but I thought it was pretty good. Not better or worse than a regular apple, just different. Didn't taste much pomegranate, though. I admit, I'm excited about trying the bubble gum one. It's gonna be sooo weird!

Here's the nutritional info:

Alright, so let's talk about Fuji now. I had it yesterday morning, but didn't have time to write about it until today. This variety was developed in the 1930's at the Tohoku Research Center in Fujisaki, Japan (where it gets its name). It's a hybrid between the Red Delicious and the Ralls Janet, which are both American varieties. Fuji has now become one of the most popular apple varieties consumed in the US.

I'm happy to say that I tasted the difference between the Fuji and the Cameo the instant I bit into it. (Yay, my palate isn't so unrefined after all!). The Fuji is much more tart than the Cameo. It's skin is thicker, and has a much more subtle taste than the skin of the Cameo (I practically can't taste the Fuji skin). It also feels juicier, but I'm not sure if its sweetness just made me perceive more juice. The first second of each bite has the "green apple" taste (like in a Jolly Rancher), but then the tartness dissipates and it becomes just sweet. Near the edge (where the insides meet the skin), there's a hint of strawberry Starburst. The Fuji tastes a lot like candy, but more complex, with changing textures and flavors. Even its marbled yellow-red coloring makes it look like candy:

And no, that's not a humongous apple next to a regular-sized soccer ball. It's a regular-sized apple next to a mini soccer ball.

Here again are the tasting notes and nutritional info from Specialty Produce:

Description/Taste

Medium to large in size the thick skin of the Fuji apple is light red with a yellow blush and oftentimes is lined with red vertical stripes. Their interior creamy white flesh is dense, juicy and crisp. Low in acid its flavor is mild and sweet with hints of both honey and citrus.

Nutritional Value

Fuji apples contain vitamins A and C as well trace amounts of folate and potassium. They are a good source of both soluble and insoluble fiber, which has been shown to help prevent heart disease and promote healthy digestion. A medium sized Fuji apple contains about 80 calories and is high in both water and sugar.

Applications

The thick skin and dense flesh of the Fuji apple holds up extremely well when cooked. Add slices atop pizza or layer inside a quiche. Fuji apples can be roasted, baked, sauteed and even boiled down. Chop and slow cook chunks of Fuji apple to make jams, soups and compotes. Their sweet flavor holds up when cooked as well, try added to baked desserts such as strudels and crisps. - See more at: http://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Fuji_Apples_914.php#sthash.8wRC70PT.dpuf

"Medium to large in size the thick skin of the Fuji apple is light red with a yellow blush and oftentimes is lined with red vertical stripes. Their interior creamy white flesh is dense, juicy and crisp. Low in acid its flavor is mild and sweet with hints of both honey and citrus.
Fuji apples contain vitamins A and C as well trace amounts of folate and potassium. They are a good source of both soluble and insoluble fiber, which has been shown to help prevent heart disease and promote healthy digestion. A medium sized Fuji apple contains about 80 calories and is high in both water and sugar. 

The thick skin and dense flesh of the Fuji apple holds up extremely well when cooked. Add slices atop pizza or layer inside a quiche. Fuji apples can be roasted, baked, sauteed and even boiled down. Chop and slow cook chunks of Fuji apple to make jams, soups and compotes. Their sweet flavor holds up when cooked as well, try added to baked desserts such as strudels and crisps."


And Stemlit gives these as the ideal pairings for Fuji apples:
Cheeses: Gorgonzola, Blue Cheese, Fontina, and Havarti
Wines: Pinot Noir, Madeira, and Sauternes

Orangepippin also has a bunch of information about each apple variety, including useful specs about the crop, as well as more tasting notes. I find this site interesting because it tells you about the variety's family relations, and you can try to trace out the whole family tree by clicking into each variety that it lists as an ancestor or descendant. It turns out, Fuji and Cameo are actually siblings, having Red Delicious as a common parent. Fuji's offspring include Senshu (a hybrid of Fuji and Toko) and a sport (genetically mutated variation) called Kiku. One of these days if I have time, I'll attempt to diagram the family tree and post it here, although it won't be easy, since apple relations aren't as clear-cut as people's family relations.

So there you have it. The Fuji has quite a different taste profile than the Cameo. Its flavors are more interesting and I really enjoyed this variety, but it's a bit much for everyday consumption. If I had to eat only one variety everyday for a period of time, I would still prefer the more traditional-tasting Cameo. But if I could only eat one last apple for the rest of my life, I would choose the Fuji over the classics.

A Cameo Appearance

Before I talk about today's apple, I just wanted to mention that all ten of the apples I bought are from the supermarket Kress IGA in downtown Seattle. All of them are Washington-grown. I read from various online sources that Washington produces almost 60% of the apples grown in the US, so I guess I'm in the right state to start my apple tasting adventure! Michigan and New York are also apparently big apple-producing states.

So today I tried the first of my ten apples, and without knowing anything about this variety, I chose the Cameo, which is native to Washington. The reason was that out of the ten, this apple looked the oldest, so I wanted to make sure I eat it as soon as possible while it's still crisp and fresh. Here's a picture of it before I ate it (Go Seahawks!):

I'll admit, I felt pretty discouraged when I took the first bite and thought: "This tastes like just a typical apple. What if my palate is just not refined enough to taste the difference?" I expected this of the Red Delicious variety, which I know to be the most common and most classic American apple, but this Cameo tasted just like it! (Yes, the skin is a bit crisper and less "soggy" feeling, but that was probably the only noticeable difference as far as I could tell.)

It wasn't until afterwards that I found out I was right to think that, because the Cameo actually COMES FROM Red Delicious (score for me!) In fact, according to this NYTimes article, the Cameo supposedly tastes how Red Delicious used to taste like before RD got overproduced and cultivated to have the perfect look at the expense of its taste. (It's an interesting article, go read it!)

Some other tasting notes I observed: The skin gives off a short burst of nutty bitterness that kind of reminds me of the smell of nail polish. Before you wrinkle your nose at that, I really liked it. Not that I'm a fan of nail polish smell, nor would I ever eat nail polish even if it were edible, but there's a difference when that taste comes out as a subtle complement to the sweet, tangy insides of the apple for just a fleeting split-second, adding complexity to the apple's taste. I remember I used to think about the nail polish smell when I ate Red Delicious apples, but it's more subtle in the Cameo.

Here are some tasting notes from a more qualified source at Specialtyproduce.com:
"The creamy yellow skin of the Cameo apple is covered in red stripes, which develop just prior to the apple being ready for harvest. By picking the apples as soon as they develop this signature striping it ensures their skin maintains the thin and delicate texture Cameo’s are known for. Its flesh is dense and creamy white to yellow in color with a crisp and juicy texture. The Cameo’s flavor is the perfect balance of sweet and tart with nuances of both honey and citrus."

Fun fact (also from the same site): A study found that Cameo apples contained the most antioxidants out of 31 varieties used in the study. It's got lots of potassium, vit C, iron, vit A, and calcium. It's also resistant to browning when cut open.

I discovered this cool little site that tells you what cheeses or wines to pair with some common apple varieties, and gives you a little flavor profile for each apple, cheese, and wine. It also pairs cheese or wine with different varieties of pears.
According to this site, the ideal cheeses to pair with the Cameo apple are Edam, Blue Cheese, Manchego, Asiago, and Chevre/Goat Cheese. The best wines to pair with Cameo are Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, and Champagne/Sparkling.
This morning, I did have a side of cheddar with my Cameo apple, so I'd definitely like to try it again some time with one of these cheeses instead (I would try it with wine, too, if I weren't at work.) Wine & cheese & apple party, anyone? :)

Anyways, that's all I have to say about the Cameo for now. I'm glad the first apple I chose turned out to be a good, classic apple, perfect for a beginner in apple tasting.

The creamy yellow skin of the Cameo apple is covered in red stripes, which develop just prior to the apple being ready for harvest. By picking the apples as soon as they develop this signature striping it ensures their skin maintains the thin and delicate texture Cameo’s are known for. Its flesh is dense and creamy white to yellow in color with a crisp and juicy texture. The Cameo’s flavor is the perfect balance of sweet and tart with nuances of both honey and citrus. - See more at: http://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Cameo_Apples_392.php#sthash.CVTPY2c5.dpuf

The creamy yellow skin of the Cameo apple is covered in red stripes, which develop just prior to the apple being ready for harvest. By picking the apples as soon as they develop this signature striping it ensures their skin maintains the thin and delicate texture Cameo’s are known for. Its flesh is dense and creamy white to yellow in color with a crisp and juicy texture. The Cameo’s flavor is the perfect balance of sweet and tart with nuances of both honey and citrus. - See more at: http://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Cameo_Apples_392.php#sthash.CVTPY2c5.dpuf

The creamy yellow skin of the Cameo apple is covered in red stripes, which develop just prior to the apple being ready for harvest. By picking the apples as soon as they develop this signature striping it ensures their skin maintains the thin and delicate texture Cameo’s are known for. Its flesh is dense and creamy white to yellow in color with a crisp and juicy texture. The Cameo’s flavor is the perfect balance of sweet and tart with nuances of both honey and citrus. - See more at: http://www.specialtyproduce.com/produce/Cameo_Apples_392.php#sthash.CVTPY2c5.dpuf

Apples to Apples: The Journey Begins

Hey everyone!

I'm really excited to embark on this 10 day journey that will hopefully be the start of a healthy habit for many years to come. (But I'm getting ahead of myself here. Let's take this one day at a time.) I just went crazy and bought ten different varieties of apples at the grocery store today. Not only will I endeavor to eat an apple a day for the next ten days, I decided to make things interesting by trying a different variety each day and keeping a journal about it. I've never been good at maintaining blogs or journals (heaven knows how many diaries I've gone through with only two pages filled out), so let's see if I can rise to the challenge.

I was inspired by a friend of mine who started a business that delivers apples to subscribing companies to allow employees access to a healthy snack option at work everyday. I didn't think I would be able to persuade a company as big as mine to subscribe to this service, but I thought, "Why don't I just bring my own apple to work everyday and eat it for breakfast?" I never have time to make breakfast in the mornings, so this would be an easy and healthy solution. One day a coworker brought in one of the newest apple varieties to hit the market (I think it's called Lady Alice), and gave out slices for a few of us to sample. We launched into a discussion about how this variety was similar or dissimilar to other apple varieties, and that gave me the idea to start apple tasting. I love wine tasting, olive oil tasting, cheese tasting, etc., so why not become a connoisseur of apples? I originally intended to just start a private apple journal in an excel file (being the actuary that I am), but I decided it might be fun to start a blog, and people might even get some use out of my soon-to-be expert knowledge about apples (ha!). And who knows, maybe I'll keep finding more varieties and extend this blog beyond the original ten!

So I stopped by the grocery store today and went to town in the apple aisle. I probably looked really funny grabbing ten bags and dropping only one apple in each (different varieties are not allowed in the same bag) and plopping them down one by one at the checkout counter. Now I got ten colorful apples sitting in my fridge, waiting to be devoured:

Tomorrow morning, let the madness begin!