A concoction tasting remarkably like unfrozen vanilla ice cream with a slight fizz. Sweet and delicious. Not common in New York now, but requests for it were greeted with warm, nostalgic smiles wherever I went. I only tried a vanilla one, but according to Karen Resta, you have to eat a chocolate one before you can join the big boys!
The V is an old variety of apple, among the best flavoured of all English eating apples but not widely available. It was recorded by Mr Scott of Merriott in Somerset in 1872 but may be earlier and introduced commercially to the United States in the 1880s, where it ripens in October. It is a small to medium-sized, hard apple, with golden pale brownish-green russeted skin and scented, sweet, yellowish, nutty, almost smoky, dry white flesh. It is particularly good with cheese and in pies and tarts. It has an upright habit, so it is good to grow as a cordon in a small garden. This is a mid-season variety at its best from October to December in South-East England but still around until the end of February. All russets are good keepers and this one improves and sweetens on storage.
Field or lablab bean. Like a coarse, floury broad bean (US: fava bean).
