wensleydale
Well-Known Member
Apple season is upon us, at least here in the Northern Hemisphere, and has been for the last couple of months or so, starting with the Viking apples in early August for me. Since then I have been through Paula Reds, Honeycrisp, Cortlands, and a number of others.
My understanding is that different types of apple are favored in different parts of the world, in addition to the fact that we all have our own personal preference. In New England Macintosh apples are supposedly favored. Every time I got an apple with my school lunch it was either a Delicious or a Mac. Generally when you go to an orchard you can get varieties such as the Delicious varieties (Golden and Red), Mac varieties, Ida Reds, Cortlands, Empires, Granny Smith, Paula Red, Honeycrisp, and depending on the orchard a few other types. For example I know of one orchard where one can get Northern Spy, Baldwin, Winter Banana, and other things you might not get elsewhere such as Russets (the supreme cider apple). The major cooking apple that I know of is the Greening (very hard and green, but makes the best pie). There is also a newish type called Cameo that I have had, its okay. There is also an immensely popular variety only around in September called Ginger Gold (which I love). There are also Mutsu and Fuji, but I find those to not be to my tastes, so I tend to avoid them.
My own personal favorites are Cortlands, Northern Spy (if I had to pick one kind to eat for the rest of my life this would be it), Empire, and Greenings. But I want to hear about your favorites. I understand that Cox's Orange Pippin's are the worlds best dessert apple (at least for those who can't get their hands on a Cortland or a Northern Spy, ha ha), and that there is a world of apple varieties out there not grown where I can get them. So I want to hear about the favored apples of other Zoo Chatters.
I'm asking this because once I had a fruit tree book from the U.K. and it called some of my favorite varieties insipid. Well, it might just be the conditions of the British Isles affecting the fruit differently than our conditions do (warmer summers, colder winters), but I was ticked off and have been ever since. Now I am curious for the opinion of someone who isn't the author of that awful (for me at least) book.
My understanding is that different types of apple are favored in different parts of the world, in addition to the fact that we all have our own personal preference. In New England Macintosh apples are supposedly favored. Every time I got an apple with my school lunch it was either a Delicious or a Mac. Generally when you go to an orchard you can get varieties such as the Delicious varieties (Golden and Red), Mac varieties, Ida Reds, Cortlands, Empires, Granny Smith, Paula Red, Honeycrisp, and depending on the orchard a few other types. For example I know of one orchard where one can get Northern Spy, Baldwin, Winter Banana, and other things you might not get elsewhere such as Russets (the supreme cider apple). The major cooking apple that I know of is the Greening (very hard and green, but makes the best pie). There is also a newish type called Cameo that I have had, its okay. There is also an immensely popular variety only around in September called Ginger Gold (which I love). There are also Mutsu and Fuji, but I find those to not be to my tastes, so I tend to avoid them.
My own personal favorites are Cortlands, Northern Spy (if I had to pick one kind to eat for the rest of my life this would be it), Empire, and Greenings. But I want to hear about your favorites. I understand that Cox's Orange Pippin's are the worlds best dessert apple (at least for those who can't get their hands on a Cortland or a Northern Spy, ha ha), and that there is a world of apple varieties out there not grown where I can get them. So I want to hear about the favored apples of other Zoo Chatters.
I'm asking this because once I had a fruit tree book from the U.K. and it called some of my favorite varieties insipid. Well, it might just be the conditions of the British Isles affecting the fruit differently than our conditions do (warmer summers, colder winters), but I was ticked off and have been ever since. Now I am curious for the opinion of someone who isn't the author of that awful (for me at least) book.
