Kelly Rossiter
DCL
A couple of years ago, my husband and I did some taste testing of apples. I went off to the regular grocery store to see what they had, and then I went to my local organic grocery to see what was on offer there. I bought one of each kind, then we sat down and tasted each. The grocery store had mostly eating apples, such as Golden Delicious and Red Delicious and they largely came from the United States, although Ontario is a significant apple growing province. The organic grocery had more types of apples, and more of them were local.
A few things have changed since then. I now have a farmers' market within walking distance of my house that sells a wider variety of apples then either store, and the grocery store manager has figured out that people want local produce. This week there were a number of types of apples from Ontario with hand written signs over them giving information about what part of Ontario they were from, and occasionally naming the actual orchard where they were grown.
As my husband and I made our way over to the farmers' market on Saturday morning, we were trying to figure out how we could manage to do a taste test this time. Unlike grocery stores where you can buy one apple, the farmers generally sell their fruits and vegetables in baskets and they aren't really set up to sell stuff like that one by one. And buying a little basket of each, well, how many apples can two people eat? When we arrived I was thrilled to see that I needn't have worried. There were plenty of sliced apples of each type to try out, and one vendor gave me a whole Cortland apple to try. It was one of those beautiful sunny, crisp October mornings and the apples were cold and juicy, and I had a great time making my way through each display.
One of the things I learned while reading about apples is just how local they really are. Reading about apples in other parts of the country, I was coming across names I had never heard of before. All my life I've been eating Macintosh apples, which happen to be native to Ontario. But I bet there are people in the reading audience who have never had one, and maybe think it is just the name of a computer. There are literally thousands of apple cultivars throughout the world and most of us are familiar with just a handful. It's true that you can go into a grocery store anywhere in North America and get yourself a Red or a Golden Delicious apple, but what about a Grimes Golden from Virginia, a Junaluska or Nickajack from North Carolina, or a Haralson from Minnesota or a Spitzenberg from New York?
Of course, apple cultivars disappear, but new ones come on the scene all the time. My mother was telling me that as a child her favourite was the Snow apple which was small and soft and pink fleshed. It became a parent to the Macintosh, and then more or less fell out of favour and no one grows it any more. Go to your farmers' market and ask about the colourfully named cultivars that are local to you. Some may be new, but some may be heirloom varieties that farmers are trying to bring back.
Here are the 10 varieties at my market this past week:
Ginger Gold
This green coloured apple is a cross between an Albermarle Pippen and a Golden Delicious. It was cultivated in the 1960's and has been more widely available since the 1980's. It is good for both eating and cooking. It has a moderately soft flesh that doesn't brown quickly, so it's good for salads.
Empire
The Empire is a cross between Macintosh and Red Delicious and is native to New York. It's great for packing in lunch boxes because it is resistant to bruising. It's good for both eating and cooking, and leans more towards the tartness of the Macintosh in flavour.
Northern Spy
Another New Yorker, the Northern Spy has been around since 1800. A tart, firm, crunchy apple it stores extremely well. It has traditionally been popular for pie making and it's great for cider, as well as eating. You might also be interested to know that Northern Spy has more antioxidants than the average apple.
Cortland
The Cortland is also from New York and is well known as a nice crisp, crunchy eating apple. A bit sweeter than a Macintosh, it's also good for salads. I cook with it as well, in fact I bought 7 lbs of seconds at the market, meaning there was some russeting on the skin. It's no problem for me, because I'll peel them and makes pies, and I got them for half price.
Royal Gala
The Royal Gala is the interloper of this bunch. Originally bred in New Zealand it was the one apple at the market that wasn't native to North America. It is the closest in flavour and texture to Delicious apples and is primarily an eating apple. I prefer a tart apple and this was a bit sweet for my taste, but it might be the one your kids like best.
Ambrosia
These were quite large apples, and as the name suggests, it is quite a sweet apple. The flesh is a creamy yellow, and is fairly soft and is an eating apple. It was bred in British Columbia and has been around since the 1980's.
Honey Crisp
This was a really juicy cultivar, pretty sweet with a hint of tartness. They are large, firm apples and store well. Originally from Minnesota, they are primarily eating apples.
Spartan
An all purpose apple from British Columbia developed in the 1920's, the Spartan has the Macintosh as a parent apple. Spartans are firm and crunchy and have a nice tartness to them. They are smaller in size than many of the apples listed here.
Russet
This was a bit of a misnomer at the market. The name russet actually applies to the texture of the skin, which is rough and slightly discoloured. There are many different kinds of russet apples, but these were simply labeled russet. This is a cultivar that is getting harder and harder to find because people think the russeting is a sign of a blemished apple. Those who know better prize them for their great taste as an eating apple. They are also often used in cider.
Macintosh
The Macintosh is literally the granddaddy of the list, having been around since the early 19th century and used to propagate an astonishing number of new cultivars. The trees have a very high level of tolerance for cold and have done extremely well in Southern Ontario. A hugely popular apple in Canada, it was the apple of choice. It is probably the smallest apple on the list and when I was a kid, everyone had a Macintosh in the pocket of their fall coat. They are a great eating apple, and for my money they make the best apple sauce going.
After looking at all of these apples something really stood out for me, and that is how much our taste for apples has evolved. The older varieties such as the Northern Spy, the Macintosh and the Cortland are all good for both eating and cooking and are harder, crunchier and more tart than the newer varieties. Many newer cultivars have Delicious apples as a parent and are sweeter and softer to eat and are cultivated specifically for eating, rather than cooking. It may be my age showing, but my preference is for the older varieties. There is something about the juicy crunch of a Macintosh that the Royal Gala just can't match.
Here is an absolutely outstanding fall salad recipe to make with your apples. The recipe calls for Granny Smith apples, which I personally find too generic tasting to bother with. I chose to use the Ginger Gold which had a nice texture for salad and didn't turn brown at all. The original recipe called for dried cranberries, but I decided to substitute toasted walnuts instead. If you have a favourite blue cheese, then by all means use that. Rather than the Roquefort, I used St. Agur which is quite creamy. I sliced it and placed it on top of the salad, rather than crumbling Roquefort and it was fantastic.
Apple, Roquefort and Red Lettuce Salad with Pumpernickel Croutons
1/2 lb thick-cut bacon slices (5), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide strips
3 slices pumpernickel bread, crusts removed, cut into 1/4-inch dice (1 cup)
1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 Granny Smith apple
1 head red leaf lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces (6 cups)
1/4 cup toasted walnuts
1/2 cup crumbled Roquefort (2 oz)
1. Cook bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain, then add pumpernickel to fat in skillet and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until crisp, about 4 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain and season with salt and pepper.
2. Whisk together vinegar and mustard. Add oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified, then season with salt and pepper.
3. Halve apple lengthwise and core. Cut apple halves crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
4. Toss lettuce with walnuts, apple, croutons, half of bacon, and dressing. Divide salad among plates, then dot with Roquefort and sprinkle with remaining bacon.
Difficulty Level: Easy
Sources: Produce Oasis, Orange Pippen, Science Daily, Practically Edible, British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, Wikipedia
*Leave your favorite regional apples in the comments below.
