Most folks at the very mention of apples can conjure up a mouthwatering memory of the crisp snap of the fruit's skin, and the first tastebud-thrilling spurt of tart-sweet juice. Unfortunately, though, a trip to the local supermarket to satisfy the craving brought about by such fantasies is usually doomed to end in disappointment. More often than not, the store will have only two or three varieties on hand: Red Delicious (which are usually mealy) . . . Golden Delicious (often tasting downright insipid) ... and occasionally some long-stored McIntosh (that are better fit for throwing than they are for eating). There's not a fruit among them that would serve to tempt Adam!

Apples are a product now, you see, and they're selected and engineered — much as commercial tomatoes are — for easier handling and reduced spoilage. Part of the problem is the fault of the customers, of course. Growers have found that some folks will choose a bright and shiny red apple, no matter how nondescript its flavor and texture, over a finer-tasting fruit that's "marred" by harmless brown russeting . . . and what some customers prefer has been assumed to mean "what everybody wants." So now, almost all anyone can buy is pretty, glossy fruit that ships well, stores well . . . and tastes bland.

Well, you don't have to put up with that! Because, as MOTHER EARTH NEWS has been telling you for years, you can regain control over many aspects of your life . . . from big concerns like energy and shelter to smaller — but equally important to the quality of life — areas such as one's choice of food. Right now you can sit down with a catalog and select home orchard trees from among hundreds of varieties of antique apples that have been celebrated for fine flavor over the past 100, 200 . . . even 300 years. And you can plant such fine trees (now often available as "dwarfs") in a minimum of space . . . begin picking fruit after two or three years . . . and enjoy annual harvests for the rest of your life.

It's possible to grow Ben Franklin's favorite variety (the Newtown Pippin) ... raise the French dessert apple relished by King Louis XIII in 1627 ( CalvilleBlanc d'Hiver ) ... or harvest the same taste treats that Thomas Jefferson gathered back in 1790 ( EsopusSpitzenberg