McIntosh Apples
McIntosh is America's most famous apple. New York State
produces the largest number of Macs in the United States. One of the earliest apples of
the season, McIntosh apples will start to appear in the middle of September if the
temperature drops below 60¼F. But wait until the end of September or early October to buy
and eat Macs; then you'll get an apple that has matured on the tree and has a wonderful
flavor - any earlier and it will taste green.
Early Macs are excellent eaten out of hand and very good for pies; they're slightly tart
and crisp. As the season goes on, they get redder and sweeter. By late winter Macs are
mostly red; they're sweet, but the crunch and juice have left them. A fresh McIntosh is
very juicy and has a tender flesh. The best Macs are produced in the Midwest and Northeast.
They're not very good bakers because they turn to mush in the oven, but mix them with other
apples in pie, make applesauce from them, or eat them raw.
When choosing a Mac, don't worry if its color is more green than red, so long as it has a
little red blush on it. As with any apple, make sure the stem is still attached - a
reliable indication that it's not overripe. Macs keep very well - up to three or four
weeks - in a cool place (like a rot cellar or a porch that is protected from freezing). If
your only option is to keep them in a heated house, refrigerate them.
In most cases look for very firm, bright-colored fruit with no bruises and with the stem
still on - a good indication that you've got an apple that's not overripe. The apple should
feel heavy in the hand for its size and have a good shine on it. A dull look usually means
the fruit has been in storage too long.
The vast majority of apples are picked from September through November and other sold
immediately or put into cold storage, where some keep well and some don't. The peak of
the season for domestic varieties - when most stored apples still retain their snap - is
generally over by December.
I love apple season. There are few things better than a good apple eaten out of hand.
Whether the flesh is mild and sweet or tart and winey, when you bite into it, a fresh-picked
apple will make a crisp cracking sound and you'll get a spurt of juice.
There's a season for everything, and the main season for American apples starts the last
half of October. I've probably said this a thousand times, but our problem in the United
States is that we try to buy produce out of season. Many varieties will keep well late
into winter, but by summer most apples have been stored for seven or eight months. No
wonder they are soft, mealy, and without juice. When peaches and melons come in, stay away
from apples. Come back when there's a snap in the air, and you'll remember what makes
apples so good.
Apples are one of the most esteemed fruits in the Northern Hemisphere, in part because
they're so versatile. They're delicious raw, baked, dried, or made into applesauce. They
make great pies, apple butter, apple jelly, chutney, cider, and cider vinegar, and they're
a welcome addition to dozens of other dishes. A member of the rose family, apples have been
known since ancient times and were cultivated by the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, many
places grow wonderful apples now, but overall, the United States produces the finest apple
crops in the world. The Northwest, the East Coast, and parts of the Midwest - regions where
the seasons change - grow the best apples. They're not a fruit for hot climates.
How are Apple Varieties Developed
Meet the Parents
New apple varieties are developed using traditional hybridization techniques. Sometimes,
new apple hybrids are created deliberately through breeding programs; sometimes new apples
appear by chance.
Breeding programs can take 20 years or more to develop new varieties. Plant breeders have
more than 7,500 apple varieties to choose from as parents for new apples. Parents are
selected for superior flavor, crunch, appearance and other characteristics.
After parents have been chosen, they are hybridized, or crossed. The pollen of the male
parent is placed on the stigma of the flower of the female parent. An apple is pollinated
and grows. Seeds from this new apple are harvested and germinated in a greenhouse.
Seedlings are then transferred to a nursery. They bear fruit in three to 10 years. If the
fruit meets growers' high standards, grafts may be taken from the seedling to grow new trees. Only one in 10,000 new apples makes it through the screening process.
Amazingly, this same hybridization can occur by chance in apple orchards. Seeds from an
apple tree, that was randomly cross-pollinated, drop to the orchard floor and produce a new
tree. It's rare, but these chance seedlings can bear tasty new apples.
As for Americans' favorite apples, Gala, Fuji, Pink Lady and Jonagold were selected in
breeding programs. Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Braeburn, Cameo and Rome
are the products of chance.
Recipes
Bette's Apple Crumb Pie
Chunky Apple Molasses Muffins
Lib's Apple Crisp
Other recipes from Produce Pete.
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