I'm enamored with apples. They are amazing little things. Thousands of different apples exist in nature, as each apple seed will produce a unique variety. Although most of them are not great for eating, hundreds of them are.
Sadly, much of the diversity has been lost to the ages, and, more recently, giant agriculture's decision to bring just a few types to the MegaSuperMarket. Happily, I'm not the only person who is obsessed with apples, and a handful of good people have kept many heirloom apple trees producing tasty fruit.
I recently spent 10 days in New York. It's an apple state. So, naturally, I ate my way through the greenmarkets, one apple at a time. With one exception, I chose apple varieties that I was unfamiliar with.
Golden Russett: The Golden Russet was grown as a cider apple. It has been grown in New York since before 1845. It's a smallish apple that has a bronze-green, sandpaper textured skin. The apple's flesh is fairly crisp, and very airy- reminiscent of an Asian pear. The flavor is soft, mellow, and sweet, with a faint cider-like taste.
Winesap: Grown since 1817, the Winesap is one of the more popular heirloom apples on the east coast. It's a medium sized apple, with a thick red skin that has speckles of green. I found the skin a little too thick for my taste, so enjoyed most of the apple with the skin peeled- seems like the thickness would make for a great baking apple. The flesh is very crisp & juicy, with a well rounded apple flavor. It tasted almost like drinking a great apple juice.
Keepsake: The Keepsake is a medium sized brick-red apple, with mottled green undertones on its thin skin. It's a crunchy, snappy apple. I found the flavor reminiscent of apples I ate growing up- sweet, earthy, and a hint of tartness. This is one fantastic snacking apple.
Golden Supreme: From what I understand (information is limited), the Golden Supreme is a fairly new variety of apple, grown from a lucky seed. The thin skin is pale yellow, with a very slight pink hue. The flesh is fairly crisp, and on the juicy side. It has a mellow flavor, with a slight white wine aftertaste. It's not terribly sweet, with just a tiny hint of acidic tartness.
Rhode Island Greening: One of the oldest cultivated apples in America, first documented in 1650. That's just amazing. The Greening is, as you might have guessed, green- though it develops yellow undertones as it ripens. Its medium-thick flesh makes it a perfect cooking apple, which has been its historic use. Raw, the Rhode Island Greening's soft (but not mealy) flesh has a pronounced tartness. Although the tartness isn't overwhelming for hand snacking, it is probably best suited to cooking, juicing, and blending with other apples.
Margil: Another classic apple, the Margil is believed to have originated in England or France in the 1750s. It's a small apple. The russet skin has green undertones, and is of medium thickness. The flesh is fairly delicate- soft and airy. Its flavor is on the tart side, but is balanced by an earthy flavor reminiscent of hazelnuts.
Ida Red: Cultivated since the 1940s. The Ida Red lives up to its name- the thin skin is bright, brick red. The flesh is firm and fairly crisp, and keeps its texture for a long time in storage. The flavor is very well balanced- nice & sweet, with just enough tartness to keep it interesting. Perhaps not the most exciting apple, but certainly one of the best to snack on.
Chestnut: A red/orange apple with very thin skin. It's a crisp apple, with a bold sweet flavor. There is a hint of tartness at first bite, but after that, it's all sweetness. Super sweet, actually. This would be a good apple for people who want to convince kids that fresh fruit is better than candy. Less successful for adults who already know that, and want something a little more complex.
Northern Spy: Believed to have originated in New York in the early 1800s. The Northern Spy is a red & green apple with a thin skin. It's very juicy, with a nice crisp bite. The apple is on the tart side, though there is a hint of sweetness. Probably better suited for cooking or as a highlight in a salad. Or, here's a great idea- use a mix of Northern Spy and Chestnut in your juicer for a perfect apple juice blend!
Macintosh: The Mac is one of the few heirloom varieties to remain popular through the ages- it's been around since 1811. And there is a good reason for it- a fresh picked Macintosh apple is one of the most satisfying bites around. It's has a perfectly balanced, prototypical apple flavor. Not too sweet, not too tart, just wonderful all around. The white flesh is soft and airy, a beautiful bite. However, the soft and airy flesh is also the apple's Achilles's heel- the poor Mac doesn't store very well, before you know it, the poor thing has gone all mealy. If you're lucky enough to find one fresh off the tree, grab it while you can.
As you can see, there is more to the apple than "fuji" or "gala". Take a trip sometime this autumn to the farmers' market, and try something new.
*Apples were grown by Red Jacket Orchard and Locust Grove Fruit Farm.
*All apples were eaten raw.
* I sourced the dates of earliest known production from Trees of Antiquity, Orange Pippin, and Apple Journal.
Sadly, much of the diversity has been lost to the ages, and, more recently, giant agriculture's decision to bring just a few types to the MegaSuperMarket. Happily, I'm not the only person who is obsessed with apples, and a handful of good people have kept many heirloom apple trees producing tasty fruit.
I recently spent 10 days in New York. It's an apple state. So, naturally, I ate my way through the greenmarkets, one apple at a time. With one exception, I chose apple varieties that I was unfamiliar with.
Golden Russett: The Golden Russet was grown as a cider apple. It has been grown in New York since before 1845. It's a smallish apple that has a bronze-green, sandpaper textured skin. The apple's flesh is fairly crisp, and very airy- reminiscent of an Asian pear. The flavor is soft, mellow, and sweet, with a faint cider-like taste.
Winesap: Grown since 1817, the Winesap is one of the more popular heirloom apples on the east coast. It's a medium sized apple, with a thick red skin that has speckles of green. I found the skin a little too thick for my taste, so enjoyed most of the apple with the skin peeled- seems like the thickness would make for a great baking apple. The flesh is very crisp & juicy, with a well rounded apple flavor. It tasted almost like drinking a great apple juice.
Keepsake: The Keepsake is a medium sized brick-red apple, with mottled green undertones on its thin skin. It's a crunchy, snappy apple. I found the flavor reminiscent of apples I ate growing up- sweet, earthy, and a hint of tartness. This is one fantastic snacking apple.
Golden Supreme: From what I understand (information is limited), the Golden Supreme is a fairly new variety of apple, grown from a lucky seed. The thin skin is pale yellow, with a very slight pink hue. The flesh is fairly crisp, and on the juicy side. It has a mellow flavor, with a slight white wine aftertaste. It's not terribly sweet, with just a tiny hint of acidic tartness.
Rhode Island Greening: One of the oldest cultivated apples in America, first documented in 1650. That's just amazing. The Greening is, as you might have guessed, green- though it develops yellow undertones as it ripens. Its medium-thick flesh makes it a perfect cooking apple, which has been its historic use. Raw, the Rhode Island Greening's soft (but not mealy) flesh has a pronounced tartness. Although the tartness isn't overwhelming for hand snacking, it is probably best suited to cooking, juicing, and blending with other apples.
Margil: Another classic apple, the Margil is believed to have originated in England or France in the 1750s. It's a small apple. The russet skin has green undertones, and is of medium thickness. The flesh is fairly delicate- soft and airy. Its flavor is on the tart side, but is balanced by an earthy flavor reminiscent of hazelnuts.
Ida Red: Cultivated since the 1940s. The Ida Red lives up to its name- the thin skin is bright, brick red. The flesh is firm and fairly crisp, and keeps its texture for a long time in storage. The flavor is very well balanced- nice & sweet, with just enough tartness to keep it interesting. Perhaps not the most exciting apple, but certainly one of the best to snack on.
Chestnut: A red/orange apple with very thin skin. It's a crisp apple, with a bold sweet flavor. There is a hint of tartness at first bite, but after that, it's all sweetness. Super sweet, actually. This would be a good apple for people who want to convince kids that fresh fruit is better than candy. Less successful for adults who already know that, and want something a little more complex.
Northern Spy: Believed to have originated in New York in the early 1800s. The Northern Spy is a red & green apple with a thin skin. It's very juicy, with a nice crisp bite. The apple is on the tart side, though there is a hint of sweetness. Probably better suited for cooking or as a highlight in a salad. Or, here's a great idea- use a mix of Northern Spy and Chestnut in your juicer for a perfect apple juice blend!
Macintosh: The Mac is one of the few heirloom varieties to remain popular through the ages- it's been around since 1811. And there is a good reason for it- a fresh picked Macintosh apple is one of the most satisfying bites around. It's has a perfectly balanced, prototypical apple flavor. Not too sweet, not too tart, just wonderful all around. The white flesh is soft and airy, a beautiful bite. However, the soft and airy flesh is also the apple's Achilles's heel- the poor Mac doesn't store very well, before you know it, the poor thing has gone all mealy. If you're lucky enough to find one fresh off the tree, grab it while you can.
As you can see, there is more to the apple than "fuji" or "gala". Take a trip sometime this autumn to the farmers' market, and try something new.
*Apples were grown by Red Jacket Orchard and Locust Grove Fruit Farm.
*All apples were eaten raw.
* I sourced the dates of earliest known production from Trees of Antiquity, Orange Pippin, and Apple Journal.
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