How do you like them apples?

We're nearing the end of the apple season here in central New England.

It used to last longer, until early November. Orchard owners would spray the apples with Alar (daminozide) to ensure consistent ripening; a related effect was that ripening was delayed. About 20 years ago, however, the EPA banned Alar as a suspected carcinogen. As a result, many varieties of Macintosh lineage began to ripen as much as a month earlier. The Macs, Macoun, Empire, and Cortland apples not only come in earlier but don't stay crisp as long, becoming something like Styrofoam soaked in apple juice.

According to the New England Apple Growers Association, about 40 varieties of apples are grown locally. The Red Apple Farm in Phillipston MA has a 101 varieties grafted onto the original Cortland tree.

You wouldn't know there were so many locally-grown types by going to a local market or even a farm stand. In a manner similar to bookstores and record shops, there are bins and bags of the standard apples and few, if any, of the others. Last week, while I was in Harvard Square, I bought a bag of Roxbury Russets at the farmer's market in front of the Charles Hotel. I've found no russet apples of any kind at any of the nearby markets.

All proclaimed they were selling locally-grown products and all had the same types of apples - the Mac-based breeds plus Granny Smiths and the sweet ones (everyone's new favorite Honey Crisp, Fuji, Braeburn, and red and green Delicious). It may seem like a lot, but the Mac clan taste about the same after a couple of days away from the tree and the sweet ones, while staying crisp, are too sweet.

I even tried a few out-of-the-way stores, such as the new Wegmans, Atkins Farm in Amherst, and Whole Foods in Hadley. Same selections.  But, each store offered sushi. No Northern Spy, but you can get sashimi.