What Is Your Favourite Apple?

We are fortunate in BC in having a program at the university that fosters continued culture of all sorts of rare and forgotten apple varieties, but of the apples available at the normal stores, Which is your fave?

For us (SWMBO and I) I think it would have to be the crisp Fuji.

#1 - Mutsu
#2 - Stayman Winesap
#3 - Gala

Dead last, would pass in favor of any other fruit - Red Delicious.

I'm with you on this one, Bill. We've started seeing some heirloom apples around here - Arkansas black is one I remember - but none of them have been as crisp and sweet as a good Fuji.

If a Mutsu turns up anytime soon, though, I'll definitely give it a try.

Way too many apples that make it to Phoenix are either too soft, too sweet or tasteless - or worse a combination. However, we recently well supplied for serveral months with apples called Honey Crisp that were nearly perfect, tart, but no sour, crisp and tasty. I hadn't enjoyed apples so much since I used to eat Black Twigs in Baltimore.

Granny Smith
Fuji
Johnagold

Pink Lady

Ida Red

I like both Fuji and Gala, but nothing beats a crisp Golden, off the tree in my backyard. Sadly, the tree is sick and dying, and we won't see many more apples from it.

Pink Lady

Celia, of course there are specialist apple websites. Favourites in a given geographical area depend a lot on what happens to be available there, but this site has some interesting data. Here is the write up on Pink Lady:

http://www.orangepippin.com/apples/pinklady.htm It explins why the ones we get locally are often touted as Pink Lady but the sticker on the apple actually says Cripps Pink.

Mutsu. Crisp and tart. Yumm.

Cortland. Great for pies, eating and they don't turn brown when sliced.

I have to go with the Fuji and the Gala. They are the most consistent (reliable) in this area.

Jim

Rome for baking -- remarkable apple -- keeps its shape and gets a depth and complexity of flavor when baked. Great examples grown in NY.

In the hand, just about anything although I've probably had too many Red Delicious to enjoy as much as they deserve.

Gravenstein, hands down.

Jazz.

rwj

"doesn't turn brown when sliced" hmmmmm.

anyway, those old varieties are the real deal - like my fave Thompson County King

Interesting - everyone has definite preferences for certain apples. It is fun when She-who-must-be-obeyed goes to UBC and buys a bunch of bags of varieties no one (well not me, anyway) has ever heard of and we keep track of which ones we like. Of course there are usually no commercial outlets, so it is a once a year treat, but there are more growers getting into it, sort of like the heritage tomato thing.

1) Fuji

2) Braeburn

3) Had one called a Pink Lady a couple of weeks ago. Good flavor & juiciness, but a tad less crisp than the other 2 above. Good enough fall back though.

Richard

Pink Lady

Northern Spy, Granny Smith, Winesap.

(Now I miss my orchard back in New York. The orchard at my workplace doesn't have any of those varieties. )

Honeycrisp. Unfortunately they sell out in about a month up here.


[url=http://www.honeycrisp.org/about.htm]Honeycrisp is not an easy apple to grow, and does not do well in all areas of the country.
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I didn't realize their range was so limited. I feel fortunate. Take that, Vancouver Jenise!!

Northern Spy, Granny Smith, Winesap.

(Now I miss my orchard back in New York. The orchard at my workplace doesn't have any of those varieties. )

I have an old Northern Spy in my back yard, but I've never tended it very well. It was a great tree for my boys to climb when they were growing up. I use the dead branches for smoking meat and some years I've made applesauce, but I do find a lot of worms, etc.

[Jenise]

So many apples many of you mention that we never see or hear of out/up here: Mutsu, Cortland, Northern Spy....

Of those commonly available: fuji and granny smith. Of apples I remember from childhood but never see any more: green pippin and winesap.

Granny Smith, though I'd temper that by saying anything fresh off the tree and not packaged in sellophane at 2 deg C for the past week!

Back in my youth I'd eat Bramley (cooking) apples, loving the bracing acidity. I could have been the Otto of the apple world

regards

Ian