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Apple Info
McIntosh is the dominant commercial apple in New England and eastern
Canada today. The first tree was a chance seedling, around 1811, on John McIntosh's
farm in Matilda, Ontario; it spread after 1870, but wasn't widely grown until the 20th
century. McIntosh is a thick-skinned, tender-fleshed, perfumed apple; it is a parent
of Spartan, Empire, Liberty, and other hardy modern varieties.
Cortland, another commercial favorite, is a McIntosh / Ben Davis cross
(1915). It ripens a week later than McIntosh, and may be larger, though not as
flavorful. It's flesh is slow to brown after cutting, so it is ideal for apple
salads.
Baldwin was the Northeast's most important market apple from about 1850
until World War I. The original Baldwin tree was a chance seedling on a Lowell
Massachusetts farm in the 1700s. Col. Loammi Baldwin promoted and propagated it
outside of Lowell after the Revolution. A large, late-season, "winter"
variety, Baldwins have a tart, sprightly taste, tough skin, and are excellent keepers.
The trees are large and productive but tend to bear fruit biennially. Many
Baldwin orchards were lost in severe 1930's winters, and replaced with McIntosh trees.
Golden Delicious has no relation to Red Delicious - except that it was
also bought, promoted and named by Stark Bros. Nurseries. It originated around 1900
in West Virginia. Very popular today, it has a sweet and delicate flavor, and is a
good keeper. Golden Delicious is a parent of the modern varieties Jonagold,
Sparigold, Gala, and Mutsu.
Red Delicious is the most widely grown apple in the U.S. today. The
first seedling grew in 1872 on a farm in Peru, Iowa; Stark Bros. Nurseries bought the
rights to it in 1894 and promoted it heavily. Red Delicious is a juicy, sweet, mild
apple (it has also been called "slightly flavored sawdust") for eating, not
cooking. Trees are productive and adaptive, but grow best outside the North.
The Ida Red was introduced into the US in 1942 by Jonathan cross.
Having a firm texture and a mildly tart flavor, the Ida Red is a good keeper and can
be eaten fresh or used in baking.
Winesap is a small English cider apple, which was brought to Virginia in
colonial times. Although tart, crisp, flavorful, and an excellent keeper, modern
refrigeration has helped reduce its commercial popularity. Winesap grows best in the
temperate mid-Atlantic, lower Midwestern, and western states
Gravenstein is an early season European or Russian variety which had
arrived in the U.S. by the 1820s. Large and tart, outstanding for applesauce and
pies, Gravensteins ripen over several weeks on the tree - a disadvantage
commercially but good for home grower. Only a fair keeper; also reputed to be
"absolutely the squirtiest" apple.
First grew in 1748 in Newport, Rhode Island at the tavern of a Mr. Green.
Guests took away scions of the tree to adjoining states, making it one of the first
varieties propagated widely throughout the colonial Northeast. The fruit is juicy,
tart, and distinctively flavored, excellent for both cooking and eating, with smooth, oily
skin. When fully ripe on the tree, the skin becomes yellower and the flesh
sweeter.
Wolf River is a seedling Alexander, a hardy Russian apple brought to
America in the early 1800s. It originated near Wolf River, Wisconsin before 1881.
A midseason apple grown best in northern climates, it is large, thick-skinned,
tart, and aromatic.
Macoun is another McIntosh hybrid (1923), also larger than its parent, but
better flavored to boot, and a better keeper. One of the Northeast's finest dessert
apples; good for cooking, too.
Northern Spy is many people's favorite cold-country apple for both eating
and cooking. Tart, fresh-flavored, and a superior keeper, its biennial crops and
thin-skinned fruit have kept it from commercial popularity in the 20th century. The
trees bloom late, and apples may still be ripening on the trees in November or even
December. Northern Spy was first grown near Rochester, New York around 1800, and
became widely known soon after the Civil War.
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