Day One

Today's Apple: A Red Delicious

Image 'n' text courtesy o' the fine
 folks at All About Apples

Red Delicious
Parentage / Origin: Sport of Delicious
Harvest / Season: Harvest: late September; Season: September - November
Description: Most purchased apple variety in the United States. Deep red skin covers a sweeter flavored apple.




Finally, it is day one o' this thing. I ate my first apple last night, which, technically, might make this day two, but I ain't gonna insist on technicalities here. I've picked a lot o' nits in my day, but I'm just gonna leave that one where it lays.

I put a lot o' thought into which apple I was going to choose fer the first one. Should I go with a classic like a Pippin er a Winesap? Should I go with something with exceptional flavor like one o' the new Honeycrisp (which I think may be a registered trademark) er a McIntosh? Should I go with an ol' standby like a Granny Smith er a Johnathan? Er should I go with something a little more obscure, like Russett er a Muscat?

Well, actu'ly I didn't have that great a selection to choose from. The stores 'round here seem to carry a fairly limited number o' varieties fer sale any more. I ain't seen anything listed as a Pippin er a Winesap er a Russett er a Muscat since I moved to this area. At most, you can maybe find a dozen differ'nt varieties, if you look real hard, at even the best time o' the year. Part o' that's prob'ly 'cause Arizona ain't known fer its apple growing abilities, although there is a fair sized orchard east o' town called Apple Annie's Orchard, 'n' have to ship 'em in from somewhere else.

So, choosing amongst what was available to me, I decided to go with the Red Delicious fer several differ'nt reasons. Firstly, it was cheap. (The local Sunflower Farmers Market had 'em on sale fer 'bout 49 cents a pound last weekend.) Secondly, it seems that when most folks think of apples, they immediately picture a Red Delicious. You might even go so far as to say that the Red Delicious is the iconic American apple.

The reason the Red Delicious has become the paragon of apples in the national psyche is 'cause o' the way apples was marketed to city folks way back when. They was sold on the idea that a ripe apple was a red apple. Unfortunately, this is only true fer a very rare few types of apples. Most apples're a combination o' red 'n' green. But, 'cause o' their  ignorance in the reality o' produce, they believed the marketing campaign 'n' headed straight fer the reddest apples they could find. In fact, they made the Red Delicious so pop'lar that, at one time, it made up fully three-fourths o' the entire annual Washington state apple crop.

That was at the height of its popularity, though. 'N' it was that popularity that led to its eventual downfall. The apple farmers was so intent on developing newer, bigger, redder, better shipping, better keeping varieties o' Red Delicious, that the quality 'n' taste started to suffer. Now'days, the Red Delicious crop only makes up 'bout one-third o' the annual Washington state apple crop. Newer varieties have started moving in to take over some o' the market share o' the Red Delicious, 'n' some folks are even predicting its imminent demise sometime in the near future.

I ain't the biggest fan o' the Red Delicious, but that's mainly 'cause I've gotten hold o' so many that was all 'bout the look 'n' not enough 'bout the texture er taste. But I'd hate to see it disappear from the stores 'n' slip into the annals o' history. A quality Red Delicious is a great apple, 'n' they ain't many o' the newer varieties that taste er look much like an apple should. I've run into more'n one that was mealy in texture, lacking in flavor, er had some strange color in the flesh that made 'em look like they was bruised all the way through. We've already lost enough American icons, like Budweiser 'n' Coca Cola 'n' Bull Durham 'n' respected politicians, to changes in ownership 'n' changes in recipes 'n' lack o' interest. We cain't afford to go losing another one.