All about apple varieties
I'm one of those people who hardly ever eats an apple when it's out of season. It's not that I don't like imported or stored apples (many varieties are some of the best-keeping fruit there are), it's just that I love the taste and texture of just-picked apples so much that everything tends to pale in comparison.
I love slightly tart apples – a mostly green-skinned crisp and juicy Cortland or Macintosh apple right off the tree pretty much rocks my socks off.
Apple varieties
There are hundreds of varieties of apples grown in Canada. The following list outlines some of the more common commercial varieties grown in Ontario, British Columbia and the Maritimes, our nation's biggest apple-growing regions:
Ambrosia Apple: Discovered on a Cawston, B.C. orchard, by chance, in the 1990's, now one of the most popular kinds of apples in British Columbia. Sweet; honey flavour. Pearly pink blush on a creamy background; tender yet crisp and juicy. Good for fruit plates and salads, eating fresh out-of-hand, and in pies, especially when paired with a tart variety.
Breaburn: Sweet-tart. Large and round. Great for baked apples.
Cripps Pink - Pink Lady® Apples: Originating in Australia, a cross between Golden Delicious and Lady Williams varieties. Pink Lady® is the trademark name. Tart-sweet. Medium; pink blush over a green/yellow background, with a fine-grained crisp flesh. For eating fresh and cooking.
Crispin: A cross between the Golden Delicious and the Japanese Indo. Sweet. Larger than average; tart to sweet taste and firm texture. For snacking, in pies and chunky sauces.
Cortland: Descended from the McIntosh. Sweet-tart. Large and crisp texture. Resists browning so it's great in salads and on fruit plates. Good for pies and sauces.
Empire: Cross between the McIntosh and Red Delicious. Slightly tart; juicy, firm and crisp. For snacking and applesauce.
Fuji: Sweet. Medium to quite large, firm and green with white flesh. A very nice fresh apple; serve sliced for dessert.
Gala: Cross between a Kidd's Orange and Golden Delicious. Sweet. Yellow-orange with a red blush. For eating fresh out-of-hand.
Golden Delicious: Sweet. Firm and juicy and sweet. Slices keep their shape when baked in pies. Favourite choice for snacks and applesauce.
Granny Smith: These apples are named for their founder, Mrs. Mary Ann (Granny) Smith. Tart. Green and round. For fresh eating and baking; keeps crispy in cold storage.
Gravenstein: Tart. Medium to large. Eat 'em fresh or in applesauce.
Honeycrisp: A cross between a Macoun and Honeygold. Sweet with some acidity. Large fruit with distinctive crisp texture, cream-coloured aromatic flesh. Great snacking apple; not recommended for cooking.
Idared: Tart; keeps its flavour when oven-baked. Fresh eating and baking.
Jona Gold: Cross between a Golden Delicious and Jonathan. Sweet. Firm, slightly coarse texture. For eating fresh and cooking, especially applesauce as it breaks down when cooked.
McIntosh: Originated at 1800 as a chance seedling by John McIntosh of Dundela, Ont. Tart-Sweet. Medium size; irregular round shape; green apple with red splash; white, crispy, juicy flesh when just picked; softens quickly. Excellent for eating fresh, baking pies and sauces; does not keep shape when cooked.
Northern Spy: Tart. Large, crisp and firm. Excellent for pies and baked apples.
Red Delicious: Sweet. Large, firm and juicy; mild flavour. For eating and salads; not recommended for cooking. Keeps crispy for long periods of storing.
Red Prince: A new variety for Canada (grown in small quantities in Ontario), originally from Europe. Delicious, sweet-tart and crispy; ripens only after storage. Look for it in March.
Russet: Brown and round. Sweet and tangy. Ideal for pie filling and applesauce, too. Russets get better with storing.
Spartan: Cross between the McIntosh and Newtown; originated in British Columbia. Sweet-tart. Medium size, red variety. Fresh eating and pies.
Swiss Gourmet Apples or Arlet: Cross between a Golden Delicious and Ida Red. Sweet-tart. Medium-large, yellow-green. Good fresh eating apple, and for pies and applesauce.
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