An Apple a Day

YAY!!! I am back in the Columbia River Gorge! Why am I so excited? Because it's the Harvest Festival in Hood River (about 40 miles up the gorge from Corbett - 62 from Portland) .

Not only did I get to see some of the most picturesque scenery on the planet... (As seen from Interstate 84)

The orchards of Hood River grow some of the most awesome apples, I swear. (This is the Hood River Bridge, that crosses the Columbia River into White Salmon, Washington)

Not only am I now in possession of Newtown Pippins; one of the BEST apples, at least in my opinion, for just about everything from cooking and pies to eating out of hand with thin slices of white cheddar, but I also obtained a beautiful apple that is currently only grown in Oregon (Clackamas, to be exact) named the Hidden Rose.

The Newtown Pippin (AKA: Pippin or Albemarle Pippin in Virginia) is an "antique apple" first appearing on the estate of Gershom Moore along the Newtown Creek, in what is now Queens NY.

It's green-skinned and yellow-fleshed. But what really sets the Newtwon Pippin apart from the Granny Smith and the Northern Spy is that it is both sweet and tart; crisp yet tender at the same time. Exuding a delicious citrus-like aroma, almost a linden blossom fragrance, and a freshness that lingers on the pallet. Basically, what I am trying to say is that, aside from maybe the Gravenstein.... This apple has absolutely NO equal. (I will admit a little bit of zeal for the apple that I have been denied for so long)

As far as the Hidden Rose goes....

This is quite the exotic "Pomme". The blushing golden skin is just as attractive as the surprisingly blushing flesh, but the flavor is almost indescribable. It is a tart yet sweet... Sweeter than a Granny or a Newtown, almost like eating a crunchy Raspberry-Lemonade but with an exotic light rosey perfume on the finish. Which should not really surprise me, after all, the apple is in the same family as the Rose (Rosaceae). But honestly, this apple is like a fine wine... Amazing!!!

Mangia!!
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