If you think a red delicious apple is the world’s best apple variety, you need to broaden your horizons. Although they remain the most popular apple variety in the US, red delicious pale in comparison to many of their cousins. If you’re an apple lover, try one of these lesser known but amazingly tasty apple varieties.
Macoun
The macoun apple is a hybrid of the Macintosh and the Jersey Black apple varieties. If you get them fresh they are super crunchy with a juicy, sweet and then tart flavor. They make a great apple variety for snacking and for salads, but aren’t as good for cooking. This apple variety is very popular in New England, but may be harder to find in other regions. I live in Pennsylvania and one of my local markets carries them. We also have an orchard nearby that grows this delicious apple variety. I wouldn’t recommend buying macouns after November, they don’t keep as well as other apple varieties and are not as tasty when they’re soft.
Honeycrisp
Created by the University of Minnesota’s apple breeding program, the honeycrisp is a blend of macoun and honeygold apple varieties. It is a medium to large apple variety which is very crunchy, sweet and juicy. It’s a terrific eating apple variety, and keeps well, so is available well into the winter. The honeycrisp was introduced in 1991 but has only reached my area over the past two years. If you can’t find it in stores it is available from many providers on line. It is becoming one of America’s most popular apple varieties.
Fuji
Proof that different apple varieties aren’t popular only in America, this Japanese apple variety has also surged in popularity since its introduction in the 1980’s. A cross between a red delicious and a Ralls Janet apple, it’s an apple variety that is super crunchy, sweet and juicy. It also has none of the tendency toward mealiness of its parent apple, the red delicious. Fuji apples are an excellent snack and salad apple variety, but also do well when baked or frozen. I see this apple variety in all of the stores in my area on a regular basis.
Empire
Empire apples are the best of both worlds. They’re tart and sweet, crispy with a creamy white center and a good apple variety for baking, applesauce and salads. The empire is a mix between red delicious and macintosh apple varieties and was created in New York in the mid-1960’s. This apple variety is pretty common stock in grocery stores, so should not be difficult to find. It is also a popular apple variety for orchards to grow.
Cameo
Another crispy, sweetly tart apple variety, the cameo is red, sometimes with stripes, and sometimes with an orange tint. It was discovered by Darrell Caudle in his Washington state orchard and turned out to be a year-round, multi-use apple variety. It was not created or engineered, Darrell noticed it was different from his other trees and a new apple variety was born. It lands right in the middle of the sweet to tart range, is crunchy, has a thin skin and holds up well for travel or storage. It was introduced in 1998 and has its own marketing company, the Cameo Apple Marketing Association, which hopes to make it the world’s most popular apple variety.
Granny Smith
A perennial favorite, the crunchy, green, tart, Granny Smith apple variety originated in Australia. It was discovered by, Maria (Granny) Smith and was named for her. A hard, juicy apple, the Granny Smith is an excellent eating and salad apple variety, but is also good for use in pies. If you prefer your apples less sweet and more sour, this is the apple variety for you. Granny Smith apples are also terrific with a bit of cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on top. And Granny Smith is my youngest son’s favorite apple variety.
There are literally hundreds of apple varieties which are grown all over the world. I chose these 6 apple varieties because I think they are all delicious eating apples and they are easily found in central Pennsylvania, where I live. Some apple varieties, like the Cameo and the Granny Smith are more widespread due to their popularity, their availability and a superior marketing campaign by Washington State apple growers. Other apple varieties, though a bit harder to find, are definitely worth the search. You may find an apple variety near you that I’ve never tried.
Apples are truly a food of the gods. They have been consumed by mankind since 6500 B.C. The average American consumes approximately 15 pounds of fresh apples in a given year. They contain no fat, no cholesterol and virtually no sodium, and a medium apple is only 80 calories.
Kids love apples, adults love apples, and apple pie is the All-American dessert. So why not try a new apple variety this week? Granny Smith, Macoun, Honeycrisp, Empire, you might find a new favorite.
Sources:
http://www.allaboutapples.com/health/index.htm
http://www.allaboutapples.com/facts.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granny_Smith
http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/components/5877_01.htmlhttp://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/components/5877_01.html
http://www.produceoasis.com/Items_folder/Fruits/Fuji.html
http://www.honeycrisp.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category;_Code=Macoun-Apple
http://www.americancameo.com/flavor/
