My mom visited over the weekend and brought with her a fun treat from up north. A selection of apples. Five different varieties.
And so: An Apple a Day. First up, the Esopus Spitzenburg.
It’s a little tart but not too tart. Not mushy or crisp, somewhere in between.
I’m not expert but it’s a good apple.
Esopus is a nice town to drive through for fall foliage. Somewhere in between Highland and Kingston on the west side of the Hudson. There's also a winery along Rt. 9W that I know very little about since I don't drink wine, and I'm not certain but I think there is a museum train line terminal there that runs west through Ulster County, recalling the major train lines to and through the Catskills during the Vaudeville era (the Borcht Belt). The region has a lot of local and history.
As for apples, I always figured that the Mid-Hudson Valley was for the most part a vast Apple orchard since apple trees were practically everywhere while I grew up there.
I spent some high school years in Esopus. I do remember some beautiful autuums. Nothing like the Hudson Valley in fall. Winter not so much.
[2] Heh-heh... Spring thaw was not always hyperbole.
No, of course not. The Hyperbole was always in January back then; now it's in February. Well before spring thaw.