Apples of Uncommon Character: Heirlooms, Modern Classics, and Little-Known Wonders - Hardcover

Jacobsen, Rowan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1620402270 ISBN 13: 9781620402276

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA, 2014

Synopsis

In his classic A Geography of Oysters, Rowan Jacobsen forever changed the way America talks about its best bivalve. Now he does the same for our favorite fruit, showing us that there is indeed life beyond Red Delicious-and even Honeycrisp. While supermarkets limit their offerings to a few waxy options, apple trees with lives spanning human generations are producing characterful varieties-and now they are in the midst of a rediscovery. From heirlooms to new designer breeds, a delicious diversity of apples is out there for the eating.

Apples have strong personalities, ranging from crabby to wholesome. The Black Oxford apple is actually purple, and looks like a plum. The Knobbed Russet looks like the love child of a toad and a potato. (But don't be fooled by its looks.) The D'Arcy Spice leaves a hint of allspice on the tongue. Cut Hidden Rose open and its inner secret is revealed.

With more than 150 art-quality color photographs, Apples of Uncommon Character shows us the fruit in all its glory. Jacobsen collected specimens both common and rare from all over North America, selecting 120 to feature, including the best varieties for eating, baking, and hard-cider making. Each is accompanied by a photograph, history, lore, and a list of characteristics. The book also includes 20 recipes, savory and sweet, resources for buying and growing, and a guide to the best apple festivals. It's a must-have for every foodie.

About this title

About the Author

Rowan Jacobsen is the author of A Geography of Oysters, Fruitless Fall, The Living Shore, American Terroir, Shadows on the Gulf, and Apples of Uncommon Character. He has written for the New York Times, Harper's, Outside, Mother Jones, Orion, The Boston Globe, and others, and his work has been anthologized in TheBest American Science and Nature Writing and Best Food Writing collections. He has won a couple of James Beard Awards, an IACP award, and some others. His 2010 book,American Terroir, was named one of the Top Ten Books of the Year by Library Journal. His Outside Magazine piece"Heart of Dark Chocolate" received the Lowell Thomas Award from the Society of American Travel Writers for best adventure story of the year, and his Harper's piece "The Homeless Herd" was named best magazine piece of the year by the Overseas Press Club. He was a 2012 Alicia Patterson Foundation fellow, writing about endangered diversity on the borderlands between India, Myanmar, and China. He lives in Vermont.

Review

"A true delight... The descriptions are almost lyrical and a pleasure to read. Each apple comes with its own full-page photo, beautifully shot in natural light...I love the surprising readability of this book. It should be tucked into the backpacks of all apple festival goers. I really can't recommend this book enough." --Powells.com
 
"Like Facebook for fruit." --NPR
  

"Opening the pages of Apples of Uncommon Character is like walking into a portrait gallery flooded with russet, bronzed masterpieces bathed in golden light -- forget about Magritte's Granny Smith-bedecked Son of Man, here are the Winesap, the Pound Sweet, the Maiden's Blush and Black Twig, rendered in a vivid prose rarely seen outside of the wine list... For anyone who's willing to get swept up in the grand romance of food, this handsome volume will make for seductive reading." --Morning Edition

"Imagine my delight when the book Apples of Uncommon Character landed in my mailbox, a glorious compendium of "123 heirlooms, modern classics, and little-known wonders."  Author and self-described apple geek Rowan Jacobsen does for apples what he did earlier for oysters: he captures in vivid language what makes the flavor of each type unique (with extraordinary photographs by Clare Barboza you want to bite into).  --Melissa Block, All Things Considered

 
"Stunning" --Seattle Times

"The most gripping aspect of James Beard Award winner Rowan Jacobsen's Apples of Uncommon Character is the author's loving, quirky, and so-vivid-it's-like-you're-eating-one-right-now descriptions of 123 different apples." --Bon Appetit                                                            "Irresistible" --Wall Street Journal

"Supremely well executed and written. If you are one of those foodies who actually likes to read, this one's for you." --Christopher Kimball, host of America's Test Kitchen                                                                                                                                                                                         "Best Cookbooks of 2014" --Washington Post, Boston Globe, Wall Street Journal, NPR

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1620402270
• ISBN 13: 9781620402276
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 320