Apple Cookbook (25 page)

Northern Spy
. This apple originated at East Bloomfield, New York, around 1800. Today, it is grown mostly throughout the Northeast, the northern Midwest, and eastern Canada. This is a medium-to-large apple with a pale green-to-yellow undercast, heavily striped with red. Its mellow, creamy flesh is crisp, juicy, and richly aromatic — qualities that are prized by the commercial processing industry. It is an excellent all-purpose apple and freezes well. Because it is a biennial bearer, Northern Spy is declining in popularity with commercial orchardists.

Patricia
. A star. This is so limited in production that it sells out very quickly during the second week of September. One of the very best eaters, but not a good keeper, it is a small, light green and yellow apple splashed with pink. It is crisp, crunchy, juicy, sweet, and tastes of “apple.”

Paula Red
. This variety was discovered in 1960, in Sparta, Michigan, and introduced commercially in 1967. It is grown mostly in the Northeast and northern Midwest states. A medium, early-September apple, it is usually red, though sometimes shaded with yellow-green. The flesh is crisp, juicy, and sweetly tart. Although Paula Reds are fair all-purpose apples, they are not good keepers and should be used within six weeks or so of harvest.

Puritan
. A lemony yellow and pinkish apple that has firm, juicy, and puckery-tart flesh. Puritans are considered fair for all culinary uses except for baking whole.

Raritan
. This red-on-green apple has a great “apple” flavor and is one of my all-time favorites. It has wondrously crunchy, juice-spurting flesh that is mildly tart-sweet. It is a great thirst quencher.

Rome Beauty
. This large deep red apple was found growing in Rome, Ohio, in 1816. The flesh is sweet, mildly tart, dry, and firm. Although mediocre for eating fresh, Rome Beauties are very good for baking because they retain their shape and flavor. For that reason it remains one of the most popular varieties grown throughout the United States.

Stayman
. Stayman apples were discovered in Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1866 and originated from Winesap seeds. For that reason, they are sometimes incorrectly called Stayman Winesap. They’re grown in the Northeast, eastern Midwest, and South Atlantic states. Stayman is a medium deep red apple, often shaded with green (it sometimes fails to ripen in the Northeast). Its sweetly tart flesh is crisp and juicy and is delicious for eating fresh. It is also a good all-purpose apple.

Tydeman Red
. The skin of this red-on-green apple is tough and firm; the rather chewy flesh is on the tart side. It is a good cooking apple.

Wellington
. A medium red-and-green apple with firm, somewhat juicy flesh. It is nothing spectacular, but a good all-purpose apple.

Winesap
. Thought to have originated in New Jersey in the late 1700s, Winesap is one of our oldest apples still in commercial production (Newtown Pippin is the other). Although it is grown in most apple-producing regions, its heaviest volume comes from the Northwest and the mid-Atlantic states. The Winesap is of medium size, with a thick red skin and crisp, crunchy, and juicy flesh. The flavor is sweetly tart with a winy aftertaste. It is an excellent all-purpose apple.

York Imperial
. When this apple was first discovered at York, Pennsylvania, around 1830, it was called Johnson’s Fine Winter Apple. It is grown in the Appalachian states of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware, and its production volume is high enough to rank sixth in the United States. An apple of medium size with a lopsided shape, it has deep red skin with greenish yellow streaking. York Imperial is a crispy, firm apple that is both sweet and tart, with a somewhat mild flavor, and it is in great demand for commercial processing into pie filling and sauce. It is a good all-purpose apple that mellows in cold storage.

APPLE VARIETIES AND THEIR BEST USES

Thousands of apple varieties evolved in the United States during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries when Colonial farmers decided to plant apple seeds instead of the young apple tree shoots, or scions, that were transported from England and the Continent. It was thus they found that the seed of an apple did not produce a tree of the same original variety. It was also during the 18th and 19th centuries that apple seeds were spread from coast to coast by the legendary Johnny Appleseed. Born John Chapman in 1774 in Massachusetts, he traveled the new territories for 40-odd years, selling seeds, cuttings, and plants.

The demise of certain apple strains was inevitable. With thousands of varieties to be eaten and sold, those that spoiled quickly were considered a bad risk. By the turn of the 20th century, when transportation became more reliable and all manner of food was available from different areas of the country and various parts of the globe, the heavy reliance on homegrown and local food was drastically diminished. No longer was the home orchard the main source of fruit. Consequently, it was no longer practical to grow such a wide variety of apple trees that had to be pruned, fertilized, and protected from birds and insects. Only those that produced apples judged to be good keepers, and the best for making pies, sauce, and cider were cultivated. Apples that could not stand up to shipping and long storage were discontinued, as were trees that did not bear their first crop for 10 years, and then only every other year thereafter. Also neglected were those apples with rough, brownish, or mottled skins, deemed to be aesthetically unacceptable to the American public.

Another important element contributed to the elimination of some apple varieties. In 1918, the ravages of a severe winter took their toll on thousands of apple trees in the East. In starting over, commercial orchard growers followed the recommendations of pomologists and planted an abundance of McIntosh, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and Rome Beauties. However, such old-time favorites as Wealthy, Tolman Sweet, Pound Sweet, Rhode Island Greening, and Baldwin can
still be found in some of the smaller commercial orchards whose clientele is local rather than nationwide.

Indeed, I consider it a lucky day when I stumble upon an old-fashioned orchard, where the gardener prefers flavor to abundance. Such varieties can be a revelation — not only in taste, but also in name and appearance.

Ashmead Kernel
. This apple was raised around 1700 by Dr. Ashmead in Gloucester, England. Considered one of the finest dessert apples, the sugary sweetness is deliciously tempered with a touch of acid in the juice. Adding to this wonderful flavor, the slightly green, yellow flesh is crisp and aromatic. Ashmeads, somewhat lopsided and conical in shape, have goldenbronze russet skin blushed with orange.

Baldwin
. This apple originated in Wilmington, Massachusetts, around 1740. Grown mostly in New York State and New England, it is no longer popular with commercial growers because it takes about 10 years to bear fruit, and then does so only biannually. It is a large red apple, streaked with yellow. The flesh is firm, crisp, juicy, moderately tart, and aromatic. This is a good all-purpose apple.

Black Gilliflower or Sheepnose
. This apple, discovered in Connecticut in the late 1700s, has the shape of a sheep’s nose and deep, purple-red skin. The flesh is firm, sweet, and fragrant. It is delicious for eating out of hand, and can also be used for baking.

Black Twig
. Sometimes spelled Blacktwig, this apple is also known as Twitty’s Paragon. Discovered as a seedling around 1830 on the farm of Major Rankin Toole in Fayettville, Tennessee, it was distributed by Twitty’s nursery. In the 19th and early 20th century, Black Twig was a popular variety with orchardists in Central Virginia. Considered a good keeper, this juicy and aromatic apple needs some storage time for its yellow flesh to develop the best flavor. The attractive skin is usually yellow striped and blushed with dark red.

Chenango Strawberry
. This originated in New York state in the mid-1800s, and is a pale yellow apple with pink stripes. The soft flesh has a distinct strawberry fragrance.

Cox Orange Pippin
. “Pippin” was a common term for a small apple when this one originated in England around 1830. It is wonderfully aromatic, with a rather rough, deep yellow skin that is splashed with orange and red. The flesh is crisp, tender, and fragrantly juicy, making it one of the best dessert apples. It also makes choice cider.

Duchess of Oldenburg
. First imported to England in 1815 from Russia, this apple was brought to the United States in 1835. Its tender, red-striped skin encases yellow-tinged flesh. Crisp, firm, and juicy, it is highly rated for pies and sauces, but considered too tart for eating out of hand.

Fameuse or Snow
. Originating in France, this has been grown in New York and Vermont since around 1700. It is small and firm, with bright red, sometimes purple, skin. Its snow-white, crisp flesh may be striped with red. Excellent for eating raw in desserts and salads, it does not hold its shape during cooking.

Lady
. This small apple originated in France during medieval times. With its red and green skin and firm, crisp, white flesh, it is very much in demand around the Christmas season for table decorations. It is delicious to eat fresh and makes good cider.

Porter
. A large yellow apple splashed with red, it originated in Massachusetts around 1800. Its firm, white flesh is crisp, tender, and flavorful. It is ideal for canning, cooking, and eating raw.

Pound Sweet or Pumpkin Sweet
. This apple originated in Connecticut around 1850. It is very large, with green-on-yellow striped skin. The flesh is yellow and juicy, with an unusual and rather sweet flavor. It is good for baking.

Red Astrachan
. This apple reached the United States from Russia around 1835. Its pale yellow skin is splashed with bluish red stripes, and the juicy, white flesh is often tinged with red. An early-summer apple that ripens unevenly and does not keep well, the Red Astrachan is used for cooking before it is fully mature. However, when ripe, it is excellent for eating fresh in desserts and salads.

Rhode Island Greening
. This variety originated around 1700 from a chance seed found growing outside a Rhode Island tavern owned by a Mr. Green of Green’s End, Newport. The bright green skin surrounds flesh that is crisp, juicy, and tart. If allowed to ripen, it becomes mellow enough to be eaten out of hand. However, most orchardists pick them “green,” which makes them a perfect pie apple.

Roxbury Russet
. A real American oldie that originated in Roxbury, Massachusetts around 1635. Its gold skin is mottled with flecks of brown and red; the crisp yellow flesh is deliciously sweet. Excellent for eating fresh and making into cider, it also has a long storage life.

Smokehouse
. William Gibbons grew this apple near his smokehouse during the early 19th century in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Its yellowish green skin is mottled with red and the creamy flesh is firm and juicy, making it a good candidate for fresh desserts and the salad bowl. It is not recommended for cooking.

Sops of Wine
. With white, red-flecked flesh that resembles bread dipped in wine, this apple has a pedigree that goes all the way back to medieval England.

Summer Rambo
. One of the older varieties, it originated in France, where it was called the Rambour France, and was introduced into the United States in 1817. This large apple is greenish yellow with red stripes. The tender, juicy flesh makes it ideal for eating fresh and making into sauce.

Tolman Sweet
. This apple is said to have originated in Dorchester, Massachusetts, around 1822. Its greenish yellow skin is sometimes blushed with light pink. The white flesh is exceptionally sweet and it is considered the best for making naturally sweet applesauce. It is also good for baking and eating fresh.

Tompkins King
. Discovered in New Jersey around 1800, it is a large, yellow apple splashed with broad red stripes. The skin is tender and the creamy flesh crisp, juicy, and moderately tart. Not a favorite for eating fresh, it is best used for cooking.

Twenty Ounce
. It was first exhibited in Massachusetts around 1845, and is thought to have originated in Connecticut. This is a large green apple splashed with red stripes when ripe. Its firm, tart flesh is encased in tough skin. This combination makes it superb for cooking.

Wealthy
. This thin-skinned, pale yellow apple, heavily shaded with red, was discovered in Minnesota around 1860. Its crisp, juicy white flesh is often streaked with red. It’s an excellent apple for eating fresh, for cooking, and for making cider.

Westfield Seek-No-Further
. At one time considered the finest of dessert apples, this one originated in Westfield, Massachusetts, around 1796. The skin of this yellowish green apple is splashed with red, and the pale yellow flesh is crisp, juicy, and flavorful.