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Union Square May 17/2006
They're here! It must be something in the air of the Garden State, but Chile, nor California come close in the race for taste. (Again this year, they are a little more watery and a little sweeter than my ideal -but still fantastic.)
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The top photo was taken on 2/28 in Union Square. The lower photo was taken on 3/1. The top one is Hollywood's version of an apple stand at a farmer's market, and it will appear in Warner Brothers movie "August Rush." The lower one is a real apple stand .
An authentic stand does not have only two types of unidentified, un-priced, apples in little bags. By statute in N.Y. there must be a minimum of six types of apples; most stands have more like a dozen. When you need a Cortland, you need a Cortland, not a Mac or a Rome. Nobody would buy without prominent posting of the price. No New Yorker is going to buy pre-seclected apples in a paper bag - we know that the ones on the bottom that you can't see or touch are mealy, wormy and probably soft.