Gravenstein notes

The notes are mineral and even metallic, and I am finding them this summer in Gravenstein apples picked a bit too soon.

These fruits also bear undeveloped pips, another indication of over-eager farming.

The apples all seem a bit late in New England this year. That and a lamentable propensity by some to pick fruit too early has led me to buy Gravensteins that could have used more time on the tree.

Unlike some varieties, however, the too-soon Gravs still retain a good deal of their essential character and great texture. I don't regret eating them.

They are however more acidic and their flavors less developed.

It was in these apples that I noticed the mineral qualities, metallic in the most unripe, that I now associate with premature harvest.

Grav, and Red Grav, remain a summer treat.