It sounds like a burlesque dancer, but I’m actually talking about apples.
Contrary to the propaganda, it’s actually remarkably hard to find good apples around Seattle. However, there’s one vendor at the U-District farmer’s market who has good-quality heirloom varieties that you normally don’t see. And today she had Roxbury Russets, which I haven’t had in a good fifteen years. And she sez that next weekend she’ll have Golden Russets!
Huzzah for apples that actually taste like they’re supposed to!
Wow, cool. After hearing about how Apples are Washington State’s specialty, I was disappointed moving up here and finding only mediocre apples everywhere I look. I’ll check out the golden russetts next week when I head down.
Don’t feel bad. I live in Washington State and potatoes were the first thing I thought of when I saw the thread title.
Anyway, I haven’t eaten any Roxbury (or Golden) Russets so I don’t know what they taste like. Are they tart or sweet? Also, are they an eating apple or a cooking/pie apple?
And since were on the subject of tough-to-find varieties of apple, has anybody noticed that Winesaps are disappearing from produce sections (at least where I live)? I liked them and used to see them for sale every fall but not any more. They seem to be on the verge of joining Roxbury & Golden Russets and Northern Spies (a once common but now hard-to-find favorite of mine) on the list of heirloom varieties.
My apple of choice these days is a Braeburn. I feel a little disloyal skipping over the Washington-grown Braeburns and looking for ones from New Zealand, but they’re usually crisper.
I, too, thought of potatoes, and of the Roxbury neighborhood in Boston. Charlie’s cousin lived there, remember?
I don’t believe you. People who live there don’t call it “Washington State”.
I usually refer to it as “Washington” when I’m talking with other people from the western U.S. However, just to make sure, I sometimes say “Washington State” when I’m in places like the SDMB where I’m talking to people who I know are mostly from outside the region (although I do realize I’m probably being overly-thorough).
