Do people keep life lists of the apples that fall into their lives, akin to the records birders maintain? I’m thinking of starting one, based on my time spent with Rowan Jacobsen’s just-released “Apples of Uncommon Character: 123 Heirlooms, Modern Classics, & Little-Known Wonders” (Bloomsbury; $35).
The James Beard Award-winning author is equally comfortable writing about foodstuffs and the environment, with titles to his credit that include “Fruitless Fall” and “American Terroir.” But it might be his passion for autumn’s signature fruit that drew me into his newest work. He has grown apples in Vermont for the past decade and is clearly well-versed in provenance and varietal distinctions.
“I am amazed at the variety in the apple world,” he said in an interview, recalling the research that led him to a single USDA orchard in Geneva, N.Y., with 2,000 kinds. “It’s crazy, inventive, creative genius — almost like the Robin Williams of fruit.”
America had some 7,000 varieties in the 1700s and 1800s, many grown on self-sufficient farms, Jacobsen says. Modern markets didn’t want to deal with the distribution hassles of small growers, and once huge orchards were established in Washington, which now produces more than half of the apples grown in the United States, the relatively trouble-free Red Delicious became the major player sent to supermarket apple bins.