Varieties
Golden Delicious
Golden Delicious has firm, white flesh and sweet crisp flavor.
It is the preferred "all purpose" cooking apple since it retains
its shape and rich, mellow flavor when baked or cooked. Its skin is so
tender and thin that it doesn't require peeling for most recipes. Golden
Delicious is very good in fresh salads and freezes well.
Fuji
Fuji's spicy, crisp sweetness and firm flesh make it an excellent
fresh eating apple. It's also good in baking or applesauce and stores
well. Fuji flavor improves in storage like fine wine. Fuji skin color
varies from yellow-green with red highlights to very red. It was bred
from a cross between Red Delicious and Ralls Janet varieties in Japan.
Gala
Gala is one of my absolute favorites for fresh eating. It is heart-shaped
with distinctive yellow-orange skin with red striping. Gala is just the
right size for snacking and is great in salads, good for baking and very
good in applesauce.
Braeburn
Braeburn has high impact flavor. The crisp, aromatic Braeburn
blends sweetness and tartness just right for snacks and salads. It's also
good in baking, applesauce and for freezing. Braeburn color varies from
greenish-gold with red sections to nearly solid red. Braeburn was discovered
as a chance seedling near Nelson, New Zealand in 1952. Its probable parents
are Lady Hamilton and Granny Smith.
Granny Smith
Granny Smith has crisp mouth-watering tartness. Bright green Granny
Smith has a pink blush. Its tartness really comes through when baked and
sautéed.
Jonagold
Jonagold is a blend of Jonathan and Golden Delicious apples, offering
a unique tangy-sweet flavor with firm flesh. Jonagold is excellent both
for eating fresh and for cooking.
Winesap
Winesap is the apple with old-fashioned flavor. Winesap has a
spicy almost wine-like flavor that makes it the cider maker's first choice.
Violet red in color, it's great as a snack and in salads.
Arkansas Black
Arkansas Black is well named with a deep red, almost black skin.
It is rock hard, sweet and tart and a long storage apple.
Mutsu
Mutsu, also called Crispin, is sweet, firm and crisp. It is good
for sauce, pies and fresh eating.
Rome
Rome is the baker's buddy. Its mild flavor grows richer when baked or
sautéed. Rome has smooth, blazingly red skin with sweet, slightly
juicy flesh.
Disease Resistant
Some disease resistant and tasty varieties have been developed through
a joint breeding program of Purdue, Rutgers and University of Illinois.
Prima, Priscilla, Priam, Sir Prize, Jonafree, Redfree, Dayton, William's
Pride and McShay varieties came out of this program. The University of
Illinois continues to work toward disease resistant, high quality apples.
Source: Sandra Mason, Horticulture & Environment,
University of Illinois Extension
Heirloom Varieties
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