[Sca-cooks] Historical Apples

[Lilinah]

Lilinah wrote:
>  So, what varieties are available today (without growing one's own)
>  that are period or close to period? Are Pippins as close as we can
>  get? (crab apples are an awful lot of work for a feast)

Antonia replied
>  What kind of Pippins? Cox's Orange Pippins are pretty sweet.

Well, "Pippins" was kind of a trick answer. There are many varieties 
of Pippins out there in apple land, but not so much in US 
supermarkets.

I have never seen an apple for sale called a Cox's Orange Pippin, 
although i have read about them.

The standard Pippins we get in the US (at least here in California) 
are green, hard, and tart, but can be eaten out of hand by those who 
like tart apples, but are also good (or perhaps better) for baking.

Mostly there are ranks and ranks of mealy characterless Red and 
Golden Delicious. I gather from my reading that they don't have to be 
so insipid, but most of those available commercially are, at least 
these days. I have memories of tangier Red Delicious, but perhaps 
those are false memories...
-- 
Urtatim (that's err-tah-TEEM)
the persona formerly known as Anahita

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