An apple may have had a leading role in the Adam and Eve Genesis narrative, but it is curious that most apple varieties have well-documented recent origins. Most were bred by a particular person at a specific place and on a specific date within the past century.
Our area’s principal local apple source, Downing Fruit Farms, grows 75 apple varieties. The many varieties ripen and are picked at different times.
The first three described below are among the relatively familiar varieties currently available from Downing Fruit Farms. The last three are more unusual.
Golden Delicious began on a farm in West Virginia as a chance seedling, perhaps a hybrid of Grimes Golden and Golden Reinette. Golden Delicious should be kept in the refrigerator and is not recommended for cooking.
Fuji, a cross between Red Delicious and Virginia Ralls Genet, was developed in the 1930s at the Tohoku Research Station in Fujisaki, Japan, the place for which the Fuji apple is named. It is an especially good eating apple, relatively sweet and crisp.
McIntosh is a classic choice for baking, because it holds it shape well and is relatively tart. John McIntosh discovered and named the original sapling on his farm in Dundela, Canada, in 1811.
Venturing into the less familiar, Jonagold was developed in Geneva, New York, in 1953, as a cross between Golden Delicious, which is mild, and Jonathan, which is tart. It is relatively crisp and juicy, and OK for a pie.
Winesap, a small tart apple, is a rare example of an heirloom with an unknown origin. Reliable records date back to 1817 in New Jersey. It has a stronger, more “apple-ly” or “wine-y” flavor and aroma than the recently developed varieties.
I’ve saved for last the most special, Downingland. As the name implies, this variety was developed on the Downing Fruit Farms, by Scott Downing’s grandfather Ernest Downing, in the 1930s.
The original Downingland tree still stands on the Downing farm and produces a large crop. A cross between Golden Delicious and Rome, Downingland is a great all-purpose apple, suitable for both eating and baking.
The list of local apples was different a month ago. It included Cortland, Grimes Golden, Jonathan, Pink Sugar, Red Delicious, and Rome. A month from now, it will again be different. Stay tuned.
Downing Fruit Farms supplies a changing mix of apple varieties to MOON Co-op, Oxford’s consumer-owned full-service grocery featuring natural, local, organic, sustainable, and Earth-friendly products. The store, located at 512 S. Locust St. in Oxford, is open to the public every day. www.mooncoop.coop.
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