Apples, Apples, Apples Tips and Facts

Everything you need to know about apples....or almost everything. Some Apple recipes you will find on this blog site.... This has the whys, where's, what's, for the use of the many kinds of apples ....
Coming myself from an area in Upstate NY Utica NY. The (New Hartford NY) area very close by, had huge apple orchards with a fabulous store to purchase them and were the best I can ever remember. This was the place to shop in the fall. Bushels and bushels would be all over the stores, you never went out empty handed, the place was full of pie making apples, eating apples, and cider making apples etc.. The kitchens in the month of October would be overflowing with apple cakes, apple dumplings ( my favorite)applesauce, caramel apples, apple pancakes, apple brownies, I think you get the idea....(laughing out loud) So, it was always confusing in that store, they all always looked so darn good, then we would get home and that apple didn't cook all way through in the pie, or was too tart. So this is a list tips and facts, that hopefully will give you a better idea on what to do with this wondrous fruit.....

Arkansas Black A medium to large apple dark purple to almost black Very, very hard texture and an excellent keeper. Almost too hard-textured at harvest. Best after some storage time. Great for baking; and terrible for applesauce. A Winesap type. Late season.

Baldwin Good quality large red apple An old variety, subject to cold injury in the winter late mid-season medium sweet.

Blushing Golden Medium-sized waxy coated modern yellow apple with a pink blush Jonathan/Golden Delicious cross. Firm flesh with flavor like Golden Delicious, but tarter. Keeps well Late season

Brae Burn Rich red color with white flesh Sweet Best for eating Late season.

Cameo A large, round sub-acid apple with red blush stripe over yellow. Late ripening

Cortland A Ben Davis/McIntosh cross large flat, dull red apple with a purple hue and soft, white flesh Less aromatic than McIntosh Good keeper. Very good in salads. Mid season

Cox's Orange Pippin Popular in English markets. Medium sized, golden yellow skin, with brownish orange often russeted. Flesh tender, crisp, semi-tart early

Crispin Light green to yellowish white Sweet, rich, full flavor Firm, dense texture Best for: eating fresh Mid - late season

Empire A McIntosh type apple Long shelf life Aromatic and crisp with creamy white juicy flesh. Best for: eating fresh Early - Mid season

Fuji Very sweet, aromatic flavor Yellow-green with red highlights Originated in Japan. Best for: eating, salads, best applesauce apple Late season

Gala Developed in New Zealand. Sweet, aromatic flavor Best for: eating, salad, best applesauce apple medium to smaller in size with a distinctive red and yellow striped heart-shaped appearance. Early to mid season

Ginger Gold Very slow to turn brown, so it's a great choice for apple slices. Best for: eating, sauce, salad

Golden Delicious Firm white flesh which retains its shape Rich mild flavor when baked or cooked. Tender skin Stays white longer when cut; Best for: salads, blend in applesauce Early season

Grimes Golden Firm white flesh which retains its shape Rich mild flavor when baked or cooked. Tender skin, with a "grimy mottled surface. Stays white longer when cut; Best for: salads, blend in applesauce Early season

Granny SmithVery tart Bright green appearance, crisp bite and sour apple flavor. Best for: people who like bitter sour apples rather than sweet ones :-) Mid to late season Not good for applesauce unless you add sugar (or like a very tart applesauce)

Gravenstein Greenish-yellow with a lumpy appearance A good, all-purpose apple, Good for applesauce and pies.

Hokuto A Mutsu/Fuji cross crisp texture of Fuji, large size and shape of Mutsu, sweet flavors late mid-season

Honeycrisp Introduced in Minnesota Very sweet and aromatic Great for juice, as it is a very juicy apple Best for: Eating, pies, baking Mid season.
Jonathan One of the first red apples of the fall Sweet-tart taste with firm texture Light red stripes over yellow or deep red Originating from Woodstock, N.Y., the Jonathan apple is crimson with touches of green. Typically available from September through April. They have a spicy tang that makes them good for pies, sauces and cider. Best for: eating and cooking Early season

Jonalicious Flavor like Jonathan but a little less tart and darker red skin. Larger, crisper, and juicier than Jonathan, and a better keeper. Slightly sour/acid balance. early mid season

JonamacA medium-sized Jonathan/McIntosh cross Sour flavored, aromatic and tender fleshed like McIntosh. Early season, a few days prior to McIntosh. Poor keeper.

Jonagold A cross of Jonathan and Golden Delicious. Best for: eating, sauce, pies, salad, baking Mid season

Liberty A highly disease-resistant introduction from Geneva New York. Liberty has superior dessert quality, similar to one of its parents, Macoun. Best for: eating, sauce, salad flavor improves in storage late season

Macoun Named after a famous fruit grower in Canada Best for: eating, sauce, salad Very good, sweet, all-around apple

McIntosh * Popular in America since 1811 Best for: eating, sauce, salad , good as part of a blend for applesauce Sweet, mild flavor

MelroseThe official apple of Ohio Similar to a Jonathan but sweeter. Good for pies: the slices hold together in pies Keeps well

Mutsu Great apple It is sweet and crisp A lot like a Golden Delicious Best for eating fresh and it makes a great applesauce

Northern Spy Large, high quality fruit Good for storage mid-late season

PaulaRed A tart apple with light to creamy flesh. Good for eating, in pies and sauces.

Pink Lady Rich red/pink color with white flesh Very sweet and crisp Best for eating and makes a naturally sweet, smooth applesauce and it is good in salads and pies. A cross between a Golden Delicious and a Lady William. Late season

Red Delicious A very well known worldly renown favorite (now being replaced by Fuji and Gala) Best for: eating, salad, very good as a base apple for applesauce Thin bright red skin with a mildly flavored fine-grained white flesh. Bruises easily and does not keep well. Early to mid season There are many, many varieties of red delicious.
RomeBest for: baking and cooking - but not applesauce - not sweet enough, and it has a fairly bland flavor Very smooth red apple with a slightly juicy flesh.Very hard flesh Mid to late season

Spartan A cross between the McIntosh and Pippin apples. Good all-purpose apple.
Stayman or Stayman-WinesapJuicy, cream-colored to yellowish flesh with a tart wine-like flavor. (often also called winesap) Good storing apple, bruise resistant, dull red coat. Best for: Cooking, pies and cider

Suncrisp A hard tart, long keeping apple. Red over orange color; Golden Delicious-type Ripens late in the season Best for: Baking, storing.
Winesap Rich red color with white flesh Crisp texture and juicy Best for cooking Mid to late season

Yates Rich red color with white flesh Sweet Best for eating Late season

York Crisp and flavorful . Deep red with green streaks Best for eating. holds texture during cooking and freezing Fuji apples are bi-colored, usually striped with yellow and red, and are sweet, juicy and firm. They're available year round. Great for all uses, particularly snacking

Tips:

Store apples in the fridge to slow ripening and retain flavor.

Dip apple slices into three parts water to one part lemon juice to impede browning

Always wash apples with soap and water; rinse well.

To prevent apples from absorbing odors, store apart from foods with strong smells.

Always choose firm apples with no soft spots.

Granny Smith apples are great for baking.

Green apples that have taken on a yellow hue are likely to be past their best for eating.

Good apples have unblemished skin.

Good apples for eating are the ones with the roundest shapes. Fuji and gala are good eating.

Good apples feel heavy for their size.

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