Cloud Mountain Farm Harvest 2005 Report

[jinian]

Apples
"Zestar" -- Medium tart.
"Roger's Red McIntosh" -- Very full appley flavor, tart.
"Ambrosia" -- Flat but okay.
"Jubilee Fuji" -- Lovely, tart.
"Beni Shogun Fuji" -- Sweet, flattish, a little mealy.
"Rubinette" -- Gorgeous, high flavor, crisp. *
"Red Alkemene" -- Soft, but good medium flavor.
"Queen Cox" -- Crisp and very tart. *
"Florina" -- Balanced, crispish.
"Golden Russett" -- Astringent yet sweet. Juice?
"Yellow Bellflower" -- A tarter "Ginger Gold". *

Conclusion: Give me Cox's Orange Pippin crossed with about anything, or a variety grown since the 1700s, and I'll be happy.
Purchased: Two 5# bags of Elstars and one tart mix including more Elstars and some Karmijn de Sonnevilles, yum. Pie city.

Pears
Skipped due to not actually liking pears all that much. citrine does and ate some, but I don't think she made notes.

Grapes
"Neptune" -- Green, no seeds noted. Back-of-mouth big tart. *
"Lynden Blue" -- Deep blue, seeded. Concordish.
"Reliance" -- Light plum. Canonically grapey.
"Jupiter" -- Purple. Rounded, pervasive flavor.
"Canadice" -- Beautiful red. Tart.

Others
Cornus kousa fruit -- Ugh. The scaly-feeling skin is bitter, and the custardy interior isn't all that great either. Interesting that there's one large seed in an obvious aggregate fruit, though, just I'd rather dissect it than eat it.
Mulberry "Oscars" -- I am not used to mulberries. I think I like them.
Cornus "Cornelian cherry", variety "Pioneer" -- Very like sour pie cherries. Great. Pie!
Aronia berries -- Astringent and weird, but jelly ++.
Jostaberry (black currant and gooseberry?) -- Tart and lovely.

Didn't see any pie pumpkins, though I forgot to look very hard.

Also available: Cloud Mountain Farm Harvest 2004 Report

(The Greater Vancouver Zoo was quite charming though low-tech, and it's hard to top five baby capybaras. Further, A&W root beer is even better in Canada.)