Search continues for perfect apple

It's crunch time for America's apple growers as they rush their ripening fruit to market.

But what once was as simple for consumers as choosing between red and green has become a maze of choice. Some 2,500 named apple varieties are grown in the United States with more than 7,500 produced worldwide, according to the U.S. Apple Association.

Only about 100 varieties are grown commercially, with 15 making up 90 percent of the harvest. These mass-market selections are bred primarily for their appearance, high yields, size, bruise-resistance -- and longer shelf life.

Still, the array of options today might have shocked early Americans. Just a half-dozen wild crab apple varieties awaited British colonists arriving in America in the 17th century. Thousands of hillside orchards soon were planted with the progeny of favored European varieties.

"There were some real jewels among them with great flavors, rich with juices and unusual aromas," said Tom Burford, an author, lecturer, orchard and nursery consultant from Lynchburg, Va. Burford has been dubbed "Professor Apple" for his extensive work rediscovering antique varieties previously believed extinct.

"Many of the 'cookers' were so sweet you never added sugar to any of the recipes," he said. "Others, though, I call 'quick spitters.' One bite and you spit them out. They were pretty awful."

Consumers are becoming more discerning about apples and many are seeking out the uncommon flavors that can be sampled in roadside stands or farmer's markets around rural America.

Despite the thousands of existing varieties, the search for "the perfect apple" continues.

"I've had more than one person come up to me at one of my apple tastings and say, `I did not realize that apples had such a wide spectrum of tastes,"' Burford said. "It's good that we're getting that kind of interest again in apples and flavorful foods."