It was discovered along Mr Hudson's field a few years ago and declared an apple. Not everyone was convinced and a few thought it was half apple and half pear. I'm leaning in that direction myself. The outside looks somewhat like a pear and the skin does not resemble an apple. The taste is milder than most apples and ranks at the top of my list. The best part is confused bugs. Most of the apple pests avoid it and the pear pests are more interested in pears. It is immune to most of the diseases that bother apples. Sometimes you read about it in NAFEX's magazine for fruit enthusiasts but few people have heard of it or tasted it. Some people prefer an apple with a tart bite or with a smooth skin. Others like myself rave about it and think consumers are missing out. I suspect if it was placed on a grocery store shelf people would be confused. They would buy those wooden Red Delicious apples that have all the flavor breed out. Sure, they keep well and look good, and consumers know what to expect... No thanks! One of the local commercial fruit growing magazines (Good Fruit Grower) talks about the many types of Delicious apples and how it has become more of a marketing symbol and not a type of apple. Some packers will can any red apple that looks like a delicious type by the name "red delicious". If you want good apples i guess the answer is to plant a few trees. ---- jeff owens, [EMAIL PROTECTED], http://www.teleport.com/~kowens underground house, solar power, self-reliance, edible landscape to leave ecopath: unsubscribe ecopath -> [EMAIL PROTECTED]