Cripps Pink

Developed in Western Australia, Cripps Pink is a cross of Golden Delicious and Lady Williams. Brisk, autumn nights help bring out its bright, namesake coloring. Available  year-round, Cripps Pink are often found under the retail name Pink Lady.

Honeycrisp

This honey of an apple has a honeyed, mild flavor and a crispness deemed explosive. Juicy and sweet, this popular newcomer is a cross between a Macoun and a Honeygold. Honeycrisp’s skin is a distinctive mottled red over a yellow background, with coarse flesh. This apple is good for snacking, salads and sauce-making and stores well. Honeycrisp is “college educated,” developed by the University of Minnesota. Supplies are limited but growing with harvest beginning in September.

Red Delicious

The most widely recognized of all U.S. apple varieties originated in Iowa in the 1870s. This sweet, crispy, juicy apple varies in color from striped red to solid midnight red. Western Red Delicious are elongated in shape, with pronounced “feet.” Eastern-grown Delicious are more round. This apple is best eaten fresh or in salads.

Golden Delicious

Yellow with an occasional pink blush, Golden Delicious is “Apple Lite” – loved by those who prefer a mild, sweet flavor. There’s nothing tart about this apple….just a buttery, honey taste to please. Great for baking into apple pies and crisps mixed with more tart apples like Granny Smiths. It makes for a great flavor combo that tickles all your taste buds, all year round.

Gala

This variety, a cross between Kidd’s Orange Red and Golden Delicious, originated in New Zealand. The Royal Gala strain was named in honor of Queen Elizabeth II, who deemed it her favorite during a visit to New Zealand. It was brought to the United States in the early 1970s and is now one of the country’s most popular apples. Crisp, juicy, and very sweet, Gala is ideal for snacking. Galas can vary in color, from cream to red- and yellow-striped. U.S.-grown Galas are harvested beginning in mid-July and are typically available year round.

Granny Smith

Granny Smith is one of the longest standing varieties; the Granny Smith is a perennial favorite available year-round. The striking, bright green skin coats a deliciously thirst-quenching flesh within. Granny Smith is characterized by its crisp, juicy, moderately sweet flesh, with overtones of tartness. Large, late, all-purpose… Requires a long summer.

Macintosh

This old, well-known variety was discovered as a chance seedling by John McIntosh in 1811. Its deep-red finish sometimes carries a green blush. Juicy, tangy, tart McIntosh has a tender, white flesh. It is best used for snacking and applesauce, but some people enjoy its tart flavor in pies as well. This apple is typically available from September through May. Cook’s hints: McIntosh cooks down easily; if pie making, cut slices thick or add a thickener.

Fuji

Wow! What a great snacking apple! Fuji apples have it all-super sweet, super juicy and super crisp. This Japanese apple has American parents, Red Delicious and Ralls Janet, an antique apple that goes back to Thomas Jefferson in 1793. Fuji is quickly becoming a favorite variety for many consumers.

Ginger Gold

Ginger Gold was discovered as a chance seedling growing near a Golden Delicious orchard in Virginia in the 1960s. The color, shape, and distinctive long stalk all identify it as a relation of Golden Delicious, yet it has a much earlier season – ripening in mid/late August. Unusually for an early apple, but again reflecting a Golden Delicious parentage, it is a good keeper and will last several weeks in the fridge.

The flavor is fairly mild, and a bit sharper than Golden Delicious but still sweet for an early variety.  It is equally good for eating fresh or processing. Ginger Gold is generally considered one of the best early-season apples.

Rome

The ‘Rome’ is rounded, all red, and very glossy, with a thick skin and firm flesh. It is primarily used for baking, as its flavor develops when cooked, and it holds its shape well. It is commonly described as less desirable as an eating apple because of its subtle flavor that is not as sweet, flashy, or tart as some other varieties. It comes to market in late September and is considered a good keeper.

Empire

Empires premiered in 1966 in the Empire State of New York. They are a cross between Red Delicious and McIntosh developed by the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station. This crisp, juicy apple has a delightful sweet-tart flavor and creamy white flesh, making it a good all-purpose apple. Stake out your Empire between September and July.

Macoun

Some pronounce it Mah-coun, others say Mah-coon, and a few swear by Mah-cowan. Whichever you choose, you’re a winner. Great for snacking, and sweet enough for making apple cider and even applesauce. Dark red with a purple flush, tender and tart – with tough skin that gives way to a crunchy, white, juicy flesh. Available in the fall.

Stayman

‘Stayman’ is a medium-sized, roundish-conic apple with a thick, greenish-yellow skin covered almost entirely with a deep red blush, darker red stripes, and russet dots. The stem cavity often shows heavy russetting. Firm, tender, finely textured, juicy, crisp, and yellowish-green, the flesh is tart and spicy. They keep very well, and are used primarily as dessert apples, but also make a fine addition to blended cider.

Cortland

Founded more than 120 years ago by horticulturalists in New York State, Cortland has a yellow-green skin with lots of red and even bluish accents. Beautiful and tart, it’s a tender apple that browns slower than most when sliced, so it’s a “smart” choice for serving up as a snack or in a salad. You’ll mainly find this apple in the East and Midwest in the fall through early winter.

Paula Red

With a red blush over a yellow-green background, Paula Reds are a charming combination of sweet and tart that’s ideal for snacking and making applesauce. The Paula Red comes by way of Michigan and is one of the earliest apples to arrive during harvest season – you may even find them as early as August!

Gala

This variety, a cross between Kidd’s Orange Red and Golden Delicious, originated in New Zealand. The Royal Gala strain was named in honor of Queen Elizabeth II, who deemed it her favorite during a visit to New Zealand. It was brought to the United States in the early 1970s and is now one of the country’s most popular apples. Crisp, juicy, and very sweet, Gala is ideal for snacking. Galas can vary in color, from cream to red- and yellow-striped. U.S.-grown Galas are harvested beginning in mid-July and are typically available year round.

Cripps Pink

Developed in Western Australia, Cripps Pink is a cross of Golden Delicious and Lady Williams. Brisk, autumn nights help bring out its bright, namesake coloring. Available November to August, Cripps Pink are often found under the retail name Pink Lady.

Fuji

This Japanese apple has American parents in the Red Delicious and the Ralls Janet and are easily discernable by their dual-colored, pinkish appearance. This Asian fruit has quickly gained notoriety with consumers on the other side of the globe due to their intensely sweet, juicy flavor, and their crisp texture.

Granny Smith

Granny Smith is one of the longest standing varieties; the Granny Smith is a perennial favorite available year-round. The striking, bright green skin coats a deliciously thirst-quenching flesh within. Granny Smith is characterized by its crisp, juicy, moderately sweet flesh, with overtones of tartness. Large, late, all-purpose… Requires a long summer.

Jonagold

A blend of Jonathan and Golden Delicious apples, New York native Jonagold offers a unique honey-tart flavor and crispy, juicy, nearly yellow flesh. It debuted in 1968, a product of the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station. With a yellow-green base skin color and a red-orange blush, it is excellent both for eating fresh and for cooking. Jonagold is typically available October through July.

Braeburn

Braeburn are sweet with a hint of tart, and a firmness that stores well. These traits plus the fact that they bake well have made them a very versatile apple. Good-quality Braeburn apples will be firm with smooth, clean skin and have good color for the variety.

Gala

This variety, a cross between Kidd’s Orange Red and Golden Delicious, originated in New Zealand. The Royal Gala strain was named in honor of Queen Elizabeth II, who deemed it her favorite during a visit to New Zealand. It was brought to the United States in the early 1970s and is now one of the country’s most popular apples. Crisp, juicy, and very sweet, Gala is ideal for snacking. Galas can vary in color, from cream to red- and yellow-striped. U.S.-grown Galas are harvested beginning in mid-July and are typically available year round.

Braeburn

Braeburn are sweet with a hint of tart, and a firmness that stores well. These traits plus the fact that they bake well have made them a very versatile apple. Good-quality Braeburn apples will be firm with smooth, clean skin and have good color for the variety.

Fuji

This Japanese apple has American parents in the Red Delicious and the Ralls Janet and are easily discernable by their dual-colored, pinkish appearance. This Asian fruit has quickly gained notoriety with consumers on the other side of the globe due to their intensely sweet, juicy flavor, and their crisp texture.

Cripps Pink

Developed in Western Australia, Cripps Pink is a cross of Golden Delicious and Lady Williams. Brisk, autumn nights help bring out its bright, namesake coloring. Available November to August, Cripps Pink are often found under the retail name Pink Lady.