Day 20 - An Apple A Day - Part One

 I’m a pretty loyal girl when it comea to my apples.  I like Macintosh apples.  They’re tart and crisp when they’re in season and they’re perfect for both eating and baking.  I’ve never been attracted to the beautiful Delicious apple nor lured by the promises of the Granny Smith.  On the rare occasion I stumble across an old-fashioned Jonathan or Cortland apple, I’ll buy it. But my first choice has always been the Macintosh.

Lately, on my strolls through the produce aisles, I’ve been astounded by the new varieties of apples available.  Many of the names I’ve never even heard of.  I’ve decided, in the interests of scientific research and my new vegan lifestyle, to explore these new apples.  I’ll buy one of each kind and report on its pros and cons.  Sorry, my little Macintosh, but I think it’s time that I broaden my horizons.

Honeycrisp – I started with the Honeycrisp because I read somewhere that the apple exploded with juice in your mouth.  My sister mentioned that she’d tried Honeycrisp and they were good and she shares my loyalties to the old-fashioned varieties.  The Honeycrisp was developed at the University of Minnesota and was said to be a cross between a Macoun and a Honeygold.  But later DNA testing showed that these two apples were not the Honeycrisp’s parents.  One parent was a Keepsake apple and the other parent is unknown. As this little apple soap opera continues, the Honeycrisp is now the state fruit of Minnesota.

The apple is incredibly juicy.  After just a few bites, I had juice running down my chin and since I was eating it in the car while driving it made a bit of a mess.  The cream-colored flesh is firm and crisp and it has a hint of pear in the slightly tart taste.  Though it wasn’t quite tart enough for me, it was a really good apple.  Using the perfect Mac as a 10, I’d give the Honeycrisp a 7.

Ambrosia -  The Ambrosia apple turned up as a seedling in an apple orchard full of Jonagold trees.  I suspect it might have run away from the apple tree orphanage and hoped to settle into a quiet life in that British Columbia orchard, but like a beautiful startlet, it was discovered.   The little seedling produced its first fruit in 1990 ant the rest is history.

The sample I ate was an apple of Amazon proportions.  The taste was sweet, fragrant and almost buttery, but I found the skin a little tough and the flesh incredibly crisp.  It was hard to bite into without worrying about my teeth and gums.  On my scale of 1 to 10, the Ambrosia gets a 6.   

Green Dragon -- Green Dragon Apples are a cross between a Japanese Orin and a Golden Delicious.  Dragon apples are supposed to have a pale green skin but the apple I bought was definitely yellow.  I’d had it for only about four or five days and it was already starting to get spongy, so I cut out the soft parts and gave it a try.  As soon as I cut into it, the scent of pineapple hit me. 

But after tasting the apple, I wasn’t impressed.  Though the skin was tender, the flesh was soft and a bit mushy and way too sweet for me.  It wasn’t juicy.  After doing a little research, I found that this apple is in season in September and October, so perhaps it would taste better during those months.  But this variety was not a keeper.  I’m going to give it a 3 out of 10.

Pink Lady – I didn’t mean to save the best for last, but wow!  This has to be the best apple I’ve eaten in years.  The Pink Lady hails from Western Australia and is a cross between an Australian apple called the Lady Williams and the Golden Delicious.  It grows in a hot climate and has a long growing season compared to other apples. 

Had I read this apple’s pedigree first, I might have had rather low expectations. I’m definitely not a fan of Delicious apples.  But this apple, with its bright white flesh, is crisp and juicy and tart, which is quite amazing considering it was probably harvested two months ago.  It was, in a word, perfection.  A 10.  This is an apple that I will definitely buy again.