Bumper crop

I have noticed talk about there being a bumper crop of apples this year, a crop which included the excellent 'James Grieve'  noticed at reference 1.

Then yesterday I happened to walk through the farmers' market in the Epsom market square. Not institutions which I usually patronise, as most of the people selling things at them do not strike me as being farmers at all, rather amateur stall holders selling expensive and often rather scruffy fancy - if edible - goods. Which was fairly much the case on this occasion, but there was this chap selling apples out of big cardboard boxes, large bag for £2.60.

He must have had half a dozen or more varieties, mostly striking me as a bit past their best or a bit too big, so I played safe and got some apples described as russets. A little sharp for the ladies, but very good to my mind, a milder version of the rather larger Blenheim Orange, of which I used to have one tree on the allotment (see reference 2). The russet was also of a more suitable size for desert consumption than the Blenheim Orange and had a better flavour and texture than its cousin, the widely sold Egremont Russet, but I suppose we are usually offered these last when they have been stored for a bit and have turned rather yellow. Not really fair to compare them with a fresh apple.

Russets as illustrated, plus the three I have eaten already.

Breakfast oranges stood down for the duration of the apples. I might add in passing that oranges vary a good deal too and when one has one every day one notices. It seems to us that, regardless of how much you pay, some batches of oranges are not very good and most batches of oranges contain a few duds - and one can't, or at least we can't, tell from the outside. All very irritating.

PS 1: oranges don't just vary in quality, there are also lots of varieties, just like apples, with wikipedia listing lots. But for some reason, I don't think of them like that, oranges are just oranges, although I don't see why not, as I probably eat more oranges than apples these days. Is it that shops don't usually label oranges by variety, whereas I know all about apples from my childhood?

PS 2: looking now at the pictures of Egremont Russets offered by google, I wonder if I have not misdirected myself (as they used to say in the service, of Ministers who made mistakes but who could not be told so). My bet is not, with the Egremonts having a soft blotchiness which the apples above do not have. Also a rougher skin.

Reference 1: http://psmv2.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/aquamarine.html.

Reference 2: http://pumpkinstrokemarrow.blogspot.co.uk/search?q=blenheim+orange.