New England ApplesTHE LADY APPLE PROVES THE ADAGE that good things come in small packages. Lady is small but intense! Its bright white flesh is crisp and juicy, with hints of citrus. Some liken it to the flavor of dried fruit. Lady’s red and green color varies depending on the amount of sunlight it gets; the green [...]
WHAT COULD BE MORE DELICIOUSLY BOLD than a gift of New England apples this holiday season? Imagine the pleasure of receiving a box of fragrant, fresh apples, a jar of creamy smooth apple butter, a bottle of our region’s finest apple wine or hard cider, or a stunning wall calendar packed with photographs and descriptions of many [...]
GOLDEN APPLES HAVE BEEN POTENT SYMBOLS of beauty, desire, and power over centuries in cultures around the globe. They appear in fairy tales from Bulgaria, Germany, Romania, and Russia — usually stolen from a king. In Norse mythology, golden apples grant immortal life to the gods. Golden apples figure prominently in three Greek myths, serving [...]
ONE OF THE WAYS AMERICANS HAVE MADE THE APPLE distinctly our own is in the kitchen. Of course there is the Waldorf Salad, introduced at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City in 1893. The original recipe of maître d’hôtel Oscar Tschirky comprised diced red-skinned apples, celery, and mayonnaise. Eventually, chopped walnuts were added [...]
THE BIG WINNER at Mount Wachusett AppleFest’s second annual apple pie contest October 15? The Cortland. It was the only variety used by both winners: Julie Piragis of Athol, Massachusetts, in the “apple only” category, and Elinor Ives of Sturbridge, Massachusetts, whose pie was chosen as the best “apple and other” pie. Both winning pies [...]
PEARS PLAY A SUPPORTING ROLE to apples in New England. You never hear of a pear orchard with a few apple trees; it’s always the other way around. Several apple varieties are described as having a pear-like flavor, notably Gala and Hudson’s Golden Gem. The mellow taste of pears works well with apples in many [...]
A CENTURY AGO THEY WERE THE THREE MOST POPULAR VARIETIES in the Northeast. Today, Baldwin, Rhode Island Greening, and Northern Spy apples are hard-to-find heirlooms. But a number of orchards still feature them, and they are definitely worth seeking out. Visit Find An Apple on our New England Apples website to find where they are grown. These three [...]
MOST PEOPLE THINK RED first when they think of apples. This takes in a multitude of varieties, after all, like the aptly named IdaRed or Eastern Red Delicious, to name two, across a spectrum of colors from pink to burgundy to crimson. Then come the green apples (such as Rhode Island Greening, Shamrock, Granny Smith), [...]
FEW APPLES ARE AS EAGERLY ANTICIPATED EVERY FALL AS THE MACOUN, and apple lovers will be happy to know that they are now available at most New England orchards. While they are good for most culinary uses, Macouns are highly sought-after as a fresh-eating apple. Their sweet-tart flavor evokes the McIntosh (which is one of [...]
COMPARED TO MANY VARIETIES, THE McINTOSH IS A FINICKY APPLE. The creamy flesh beneath their thin skin bruises easily, and, more than most varieties, it is essential that they be kept cold after picking, or they go soft. Macs break down easily when cooked, and their flavor, so tart and crisp in the fall, mellows [...]
