Apples

The writer Jane Austin once said that,  "Good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness." I believe it because it is apples season here in apple growing Oregon. I bought a few varieties the other day from a big bin of apples. Is that not the way apples should be sold.....just picked, un waxed, barely cleaned and smelling fresh from meters away? I bought two different varieties the other day and they are as sweet as candy and juicy as a popsicle. 

I am a fan of what some call the "noblest of fruits". What other fruit has so many varieties that are meant for so many different purposes. There is merit in variety itself. It provides leads us away from uniformity and monotony. Ever go to a market and get excited by the endless varieties of apples for sale? I don't think there is a fruit that offers so many choices with so many intriguing names. 7,500 varieties of apples worldwide, including the so called  "club" varieties. They are now available because apple breeders commit to grow news apple in the hopes of finding the perfect breed. The apple industry today has settled on a handful of varieties to promote worldwide, and the rest are forgotten....if you happen to shop at a grocery store.

In the fields, apples trees still are thriving and local road side fruit stands still offer endless types for sale.  Just like people some they come with interesting names. One of the newer and popular varieties of eating apple is called the "Pink Lady". And I thought "Prince" was a silly name for that musician. There is even an apple called the "Northern Spy Apple". It has nothing to do with the FBI or CIA. Apparently, the Northern Spy Apple was a originally called the Northern Pie Apple. It was accidentally turned into a cloak and dagger variety.

I not only like apples in their original state, but in most other forms. For my taste, it  may be impossible to have a bad apple pie if there are enough apples inside. Apple cider, apple juice, apple jack, apple strudel, dried apples, apple pancakes, applesauce, dried apples, apple toffee...are all good to eat. Maybe the banana and mango are eaten more often worldwide, but as Jane Austin said, they don't ensure domestic tranquility like the apple does.