New York Today: How ’Bout Our Apples?

SHELF THE SHAVER

Up & down and up & down
The shaver does your face,
And with each tiresome little stroke
It cuts a bit of space.

Not me. I tired long ago
Of slaving like a rower
And traded in that little tool
For a man-sized lawn mower.

BIG APPLE POT
Step right up for the freshest crop,
Welcome to the first Pot Shop,
Opened Jan. in the Big Apple,
No more need to sneak and grapple.
Medical marijuana, it's called,
Far too long debated and stalled.
Not, of course, for getting high,
Aim of the recreational guy.
Smoke the weed or take it vape?
Ask politely, do not gape.
Pay in cash or pay with checks,
But you need physician's Rx.
Will insurance help you out?
Be prepared to fume and shout.
If turned down, don't toss a bomb--
Cry for mercy at Boohoo.com.

LOW-TYKE

Junior's wired today,

Springy as a cat;

Apple cannot help,

But there's a nap for that.

While Minnesota is not among the top producers of apples, they are one of the top developers of new varieties through the University of MN Arboretum and research center. And yes, they do occasionally offer some of the "test varieties" to the public. In particular I remember one called "1610" (I think that was the number) that went on to be developed as the Honeycrisp. And, if you haven't had one of those, you are missing out on one of the really great apples.

The Northern Spy happens to be my favorite apple also. While living in S WI, I happened to see a sign for an apple orchard. I was amazed at how Brightwoods Orchard was not one of those tourist traps with rides but featured their apples. Also they had a jug of what I thought was apple cider but it was pure free run apple juice with no preservatives and the juice was not pasteurized. Only one other orchard in WI had the necessary equipment to provide this pure free run apple juice.

Got to know the man who ran this operation - he was an Oncologist working in Chicago and his nurse suggested he visit her parents apple orchard. He fell in love with the place and made it his full time job. In the winter he travels to Europe to seek out new apple/pippin varieties. Today they have over 200 different varieties of apples.

In colonial times apples/pippins were small and sour and only good for making apple juice. Due to no refrigeration, the juice fermented. I have never seen fermented apple juice sold in the USA but it is available in Europe and Canada. Apparently ATF does not have a tax schedule for fermented apple juice.

Since there are no Northern Spy apples in N GA, I will get a couple of bushels from my friends in WI. BTW if you want to ship something and not have it torn up - Use FedEx surface - I ship equipment weighing thousands of pounds using them - this equipment has 2 commas in the price.

My parents were teenagers during the Hurricane of 1938 and lived with their families in and around Providence RI. Water rose multiple feet high on the buildings of downtown Providence. An aunt worked after school in an insurance company there and was stranded overnight, rescued by boat. The destruction of elms and other long-lived trees changed the look of neighborhoods there and across southern New England for decades. At what became my college many years later, Connecticut College in New London, not only the magnificent elms but the power plant stack were torn from the ground. The college's business manager had purchased a little-known insurance rider for hurricane damage just weeks before, and the college's power was back in service with a new stack in short order. The most horrific damage and loss of life occurred in the shore communities of far southeastern Connecticut and southern Rhode Island. I grew up with, and have never lost, a fear of hurricanes communicated to me like a virus from my parents' recollections and photos. To get a fuller idea of how shocking and tragic this storm was, read Sudden Sea by R.A. Scotti - but preferably on a sunny day and away from the shore.

One of my favorite parts of the Fall is the appearance of apples.
My local supermarket has over 20 varieties and I buy one of each which drives the clerk mad as each has to be rung up separately.
Until the last few years I had never known there were so many varieties beyond the ubiquitous Delicious, Macintosh, etc. Some of the new ones(to me) are Fuji and Braeburns.
They all taste great alone or with slices of an extra sharp cheddar to set off the sweetness of the apple.

When residing briefly in Upstate NY, at a Fall party, some gentleman with an apple orchard had brought fresh unpasteurized cider. It was unbelievable and I have never been able to drink packaged apple juice after that.

Disagree about waiting four the best apples... Those "early macs" are deliciously tart!

Mets cheese Phillies

I took the family to a place in New York to pick apples. We got there and the sign outside said "pick your own apples"......so....we left.

tune of "Don't Sit Under The Apple Tree"

Don't go picking an apple, dear
From anywhere else but here
Anywhere else but here, anywhere else but here – no, no, no
Don't go picking an apple, dear
From anywhere else but here
Take care what you bring home

Don't go picking in Michigan
Or any tree in P-A,
Any tree in P-A, any tree in P-A – no, no, no
Don’t go picking in Washington
Or anywhere in V-A
Just keep it close to home

Once you pick it, keep it cool, so it will not decay
If it’s browning, they say you’ll still like Bundt or flambé

Don't go picking an apple, dear
From anywhere else but here
Take care what you bring home