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The Best of Apple Season: What Kind to Buy, Where to Get Them, How to Eat Them
The Best of Apple Season: What Kind to Buy, Where to Get Them, How to Eat Them
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By Marie Flanagan |
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Temperatures have dipped, the front lawn is dry, and apple season is nigh. I was concerned about Minnesota apple season this year—that sudden cold snap in May wasn’t great for apples. So last week I was downright giddy when I saw a stack of gleaming Zestar! apples at the farmers' market. And when I get giddy, I do roundups. So here’s my Minnesota apple roundup to help you choose 'em, find 'em and enjoy 'em!
CHOOSE YOUR APPLE
Naturally, varieties of apples have seasons, and each variety has a peak season and specific attributes. Some apples are great for eating plain (Honeycrisp, Zestar!, SweeTango, Haralson), while others are better suited for baking or sauce (Northern Spy, Prairie Spy, Duchess). Some apples are naturally disease resistant, which means growers can use fewer chemicals in the orchard (Dayton, Pristine, Redfree, William’s Pride, Liberty). And certain varieties can be stored for a long time (Prairie Spy, Keepsake, Honeygold, Sweet Sixteen, Honeycrisp). That’s a lot of information to sort out, so I’ve got the major Minnesota-grown varieties listed here by season, in alphabetical order, along with their general attributes.
EARLY SEASON Mid-August to Early September
Beacon (sweet, juicy, good eating apple)
Centennial Crabapple (small, juicy, great for kids)
Dayton (naturally disease resistant, tart, crisp)
Discovery (floral, sweet)
Duchess (good for pies)
Estivale (sometimes called LaCrescent, sweet, tart)
Gingergold (sweet, crunchy)
Jersey Mac (sweet, tart, good for applesauce)
Lodi (very early, tart, decent pie apple)
Paula Red (sweet, tart, bright white flesh)
Pristine (disease resistant, crisp, delicate)
Redfree (disease resistant, sweet, crisp)
Sansa (Gala/Akane cross, crunchy, juicy)
Summer Red (similar to Haralson, crisp, tart, juicy)
State Fair (tart, crunchy)
SweeTango (a personal favorite, crisp, tangy, slightly sweet)
Tyedeman’s Red (juicy, sweet, tart, good for apple sauce)
Viking (mild, soft, thin-skinned)
Wellington (tart, early pie apple)
William’s Pride (disease resistant, slightly spicy, bold)
Zestar! (a personal favorite, large, crunchy, sweet-tart)
MID-SEASON Early September to Late September
Chestnut Crabapple (nutty, smaller, good for sauce)
Cortland (bright white flesh, doesn’t brown as quickly, great for fruit salad)
Gala (sweet, crisp, yellowish flesh)
Honeycrisp (a personal favorite, well balanced, sweet, tangy, crisp, very popular)
McIntosh (very tart, juicy, very popular)
Red Baron (mild, sweet, juicy)
Sweet Sixteen (a personal favorite, sticky sweet, crisp, juicy, yellow flesh)
Wealthy (tart, medium sized)
LATE SEASON Late September to Late October
Braeburn (sweet, tart, classic)
Fireside (sweet, large, good for baking)
Frostbite (very sweet, smaller, juicy)
Honeygold (yellow skin, good for cooking, sweet)
Haralson (firm, good pie apple, sweet)
Keepsake (firm, crisp, yellowish flesh, can store for 6 months)
Liberty (disease resistant, tart, crisp)
Northern Spy (tart, juicy, great for pies and sauce)
Pinata (orange in color, slightly spicy)
Prairie Spy (large, dense, good for baking, long storage time)
Red Delicious (very popular, firm, dark red, sweet)
Regent (well balanced, good for eating and cooking)
SnowSweet (a personal favorite, sweet, slightly tart, white flesh is slow to brown)
FIND YOUR APPLE
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has a list of 112 apple orchards on their Minnesota Grown website. You can search by zip code to find an orchard. Many of the listed orchards have special events on fall weekends, with kids activities, music, petting zoo, wagon rides and other fun. Besides apples, you might find cider, pies, caramel apples and other goodies. It makes for a great fall outing!
Find an orchard at www.minnesotagrown.com
