Pony's Kitchen: May 2010

Alphabetical List of American Apple Varieties and Characteristics

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/Mutsu *

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; hence the name (there's no "Mr. Grimes")
Stays white longer when cut;
Best for: salads, blend in applesauce
Early season

Granny Smith

Very 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
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 midseason

Jonamac

A 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

Melrose

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

Mutsu

Lousy name, but a 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

WAS the most popular apple variety in the world! for December ades (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, so there is a range of properties. Not all red delicious are the same!

Rome

Best 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-Winesap

Juicy, 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