Weve compiled a list of common apple varieties, best apple recipes for each type, and an apple sweetness scale to help you narrow your choices. Cortland, empire, and jonathan apples apple guide apple holler. Cortland apple bar lois weeks like mcintosh, cortland has been a new england favorite for more than a century, and it excels in every use. But though controlled storage preserves macs crunch, it loses flavor over time. What are cortland apples learn about cortland apple tree care. Cortland, pies, applesauce, fruit salad, tart, crisp, larger than mcintosh. Pies and baking choose only apples that hold their shape well during cooking. Remarkably, there are hundreds of different apple varieties grown in the u. Raw for snacking and salads personal taste and preferences vary widelyits up to you whether you prefer sweet or tart. The cortland apple is an heirloom apple that has been a favorite of many since the time your grandparents or even greatgrandparents were kids. Its exceptional flavor, juiciness, and aroma have made mcintosh a favorite of apple breeding. The very best pie apples flourish king arthur flour. The early planting did not leaf out this spring, stark bros.
Cortland was one of the first varieties developed from the popular mcintosh, and inherits the characteristic sweet white flesh and crimson skin of its father. What are cortland apples learn about cortland apple tree. These apples have been around long enough to be considered heirlooms that have passed from generation to generation. The classic green apple is firm, slightly sour, and definitely one of the. Pippin, rhode island greening, mcintosh, elstar, cortland, fuji, gala. Cortland apple tree cold hardy apples willis orchards. I have yet to encounter an apple at a grocery store that has the same tart, intense. It is excellent for fresh eating and for salads or baking.
What is a good substitute for granny smith apples in a. When sliced, cortlands are a excellent for salads and cheese plates, as the flesh doesnt brown and discolor quickly. In many ways it is a growers apple in nova scotia with little problem for regular high yields of good fruit size. The apple was named after nearby cortland county, new york. The white flesh discolors much slower than other varieties, making it ideal for raw preparations such as salads or fruit plates, but it is also a good pie apple. The mcintosh apple was ideally suited to the climate of the area, being a heavy and reliable cropper with good cold hardiness.
Winning new england apple pie recipes feature cortlands. Cortland is a popular eating, salad and home cooking cultivar which has become known for its distinctive palatable flavour and texture. What is a good substitute for granny smith apples in. What is another type of apple that would be a good. Below is a list of the best apples for baking and cooking. Following are nine apple varieties commonly found in wisconsin and how best to enjoy them. The apple was very tart and didnt have much sweetness or juiciness in the flesh. The following varieties will pollinate this apple tree. It is among the fifteen most popular in the united states. There have been few late frosts in the main apple growing regions, rain and temperatures have been good, so the year is shaping up well for a good apple crop.
Even better, use more than one firm apple variety to give the dish different textures and tastes. Current facts the cortland apple is an older american variety of malus domestica, one of the many offspring of mcintosh apples. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Oct 28, 2011 the big winner at mount wachusett applefests second annual apple pie contest october 15. This rule of thumb is a great one to follow whether youre looking for the best apples for baking pie, apple crisp, apple cake, apple muffins, apple bread, or any recipe that calls for apples as an ingredient in baked goods. Firmtextured and sweettart, the empire is a fine allpurpose apple good for juice, sauce, pies. This is a good apple for eating out of hand, or for making applesauce or pies. Top sites mcintosh apple substitute 2019 latest mcintosh. Champlain orchards in shoreham, vermont, is one of many new england orchards with outstanding cortland apple crops this fall.
For sauce, the apple association gives cameo, cortland, fortune, idared, mcintosh. It is a juicy apple with a hint of tartness, yet is sweet compared to mcintosh. Note that some familiar apple varieties may be missing because they are best eaten fresh. At is best when eaten soon after being picked, since the sweet flavor and crispness fade quickly. The cortland apple makes a wonderful presentation whether on salads, fruit trays, or fresh out of your lunch box. For these baked goods, you need to use firm apples.
Two pounds of apples is enough for an average 9 pieview on amazon. The mcintosh apple is a midseason bloomer that ripens later in september. Often, the cause of this is a soft apple variety that doesnt hold up in the oven. Gourmetsleuth is supported by minimal ads and reader support. With apple picking season hard upon us, its time to dust off your favorite apple pie recipe, sharpen your crustrolling skills, and get ready to enjoy falls favorite dessert. You can use something else, but the result will be different.
This great, allpurpose apple was developed at the new york state agricultural experiment station in geneva in 1898. Theyre everyones goto apples for baking mine included. Cut the skin off the apple and suck on the flesh of the apple to identify it by flavor. What is another type of apple that would be a good substitute. The cortland apple that i have is a replacement and was planted several weeks ago, it has leafed out and seems to be doing very well. Their white flesh browns slowly after slicing, so cortlands are excellent in salads, too. Firmtextured and sweettart, the empire is a fine allpurpose apple good for juice, sauce, pies, baking, salads, eating fresh, and drying.
Mcintosh achieves its best flavor in colder applegrowing regions. It is also a prized cooking apple, most often used in pies, breads, and applesauce. In fact, the flavor is most intense right off the tree and declines somewhat in storage, so the way to truly appreciate this. We recommend using both 1 a firm sweet apple plus 2 a firm tart apple for depth of flavor. Apple type raw pies baking sauce juice comments baldwin tart,crisp, great for baking braeburn crisp, allpurpose cameo crisp, tart, juicy cortland tart,crisp. Honeycrisp apple and mcintosh, cortland, macoun stayman. Comparing apples to apples milwaukee journal sentinel. It combines the sweet flavor of the mcintosh with the cold hardiness of its other parent, ben davis. Fuji, gala, golden delicious, and red delicious taste sweet. Pollination of cortland apple trees your cortland apple tree is in flowering group 3. Cortland apples are available in the fall through spring. If your recipe calls for a specific type of applegranny smith, for examplebuy that apple type. Honeycrisp, cortland, empire, mcintosh, red delicious, macoun, gala, fuji, and fortune, stayman, winesap, apples.
Sadly, there isnt a really good substitute for the mac in the off season, though empire. Sep 11, 2019 this rule of thumb is a great one to follow whether youre looking for the best apples for baking pie, apple crisp, apple cake, apple muffins, apple bread, or any recipe that calls for apples as an ingredient in baked goods. The big winner at mount wachusett applefests second annual apple pie contest october 15. Fuji apples are aromatic, sweet, juicy and crisp with a firm texture with colors that vary from yellowgreen with red highlights to mostly red. Julie piragis of athol, massachusetts, in the apple only category, and elinor ives of sturbridge, massachusetts, whose pie was chosen as the best apple and other pie. Mcintosh, red delicious, golden delicious and gala apples are juicy versus the firmer textured apples that emit less juice when bitten.
With all due respect, its like asking what to substitute for chocolate. It is partially selffertile, but a nearby pollination partner of a different variety is beneficial. Sep 24, 2016 following are nine apple varieties commonly found in wisconsin and how best to enjoy them. It is a cross between an old southern variety, ben davis, pollinated by mcintosh. Sep 27, 2011 i grew up in pennsylvania, where we had 12 macintosh apple trees on our property. A fruit grown throughout the world in temperate climates for at least 3,000 years, there are now thousands of varieties from yellow to green to red, tender to crisp, sweet to tart and simple to complex. This doubleapple walnut bread is a great seasonal alternative to traditional banana. If it isnt available, buy a similar hard or crisp apple to substitute for the granny smith apples. Cortland was one of the first varieties to be developed from the popular mcintosh apple. Mcintosh is grown in sufficient quantity for the wholesale market, and is for sale in supermarkets through june in some parts of the country.
Apple varieties of new york state cortland ny apple. However nearly all that production takes place in new york state, almost within sight of cornell university where it was developed in 1898 and introduced in 1915. These are the best apples for apple pie and other applepacked bakes. These apples make the best pies and are good for eating fresh. Apples to apples a comparison taste test fine choice foods. The cortland is a relatively soft apple, although not quite as soft as the mcintosh.
These types of challenges are why cooking is often referred to as an art. Sep 17, 2018 with all due respect, its like asking what to substitute for chocolate. The mcintosh has a red and green skin and white flesh inside. Fuji and honey crisp are currently the most popular varieties.
The semidwarf trees only reduce the size of the tree, not the fruit. The fruit has red and green skin, a tart flavour, and tender white flesh, which ripens in late september. A cross between mcintosh and red delicious, this variety also stays white much. With applepicking season hard upon us, its time to dust off your favorite apple pie recipe, sharpen your crustrolling skills, and get ready to enjoy falls favorite dessert. List of pollination partners for cortland apple trees. Some are relatively hard and some are almost mealy. Sep 10, 20 this warm old fashioned apple crisp will make your house smell wonderful as the buttery, oatmeal topping is baking over the apples, sugar and cinnamon. Im making the same one my grandma made, i grew up with my mother making, and now i make, except i have had trouble the past few years finding the macintosh apples that were to goto for three generations of pies. A downloadable chart to help you choose which apples are best for. Macoun apple bar lois weeks while they are good for most culinary uses, macouns are highly soughtafter as a fresheating apple. First discovered in the early 1800s, the mcintosh apple has become a north american icon, so much so that an apple employee named the macintosh line of computers after the fruit. Cortland is a cultivar of apple, that was raised at the new york state agricultural experiment station in geneva, new york, united states in 1898.
A large, juicy apple with a sweettart flavor that is a little sweeter than a mac, cortlands are excellent for fresh eating. With a cortland apple tree in your yard, youll be able to enjoy the taste of this sweet, juicy classic just like they did. Cortland apples offer a creamy, soft feel in the mouth. The apple tree and pear tree are related to each otherthey are both part of the rose family. With the new red strains and with ontime harvesting cortland could gain market share. Add the fact that it naturally contains cinnamon and nutmeglike flavors, and this new zealand apple is a nobrainer to use in apple pie. It doesnt hurt that it has a super crisp, firm texture that doesnt lose its form as it bakes, either. These redblushed apples have a sweet juice with just a hint of tartness. However cortland is a noticeably larger apple and in a good season the flavour can have a more robust yet perfumed quality. My grandmother made delicious pies with mcintosh apples, but they were. Experiment and find the ones that best suit your taste. It has a very concentrated apple flavor that becomes more pronounced when its baked.
Semidwarf trees grow to be around 1215 tall x 1215 wide. Since their flesh is slow to brown after its cut, cortland apples are especially good in salads. Nov 22, 2019 you are in luck, marle i just checked your profile to see if you live in the us. Mcintosh babies cortland, empire, and macoun champlain orchards in shoreham, vermont, is one of many new england orchards with outstanding cortland apple crops this fall.
Some people just have to have mcintosh and apple to bake that apple pie like mom used to make. The apple has a spicy, crisp sweetness and has become one of the u. There are many varieties of apples available in the us, that are great for baking in pies. Cortland apples are a cross between ben davis and mcintosh apples. And unlike the mcintosh, the cortland functions as an allpurpose apple, which means you can bake it, cook it.
These redblushed apples have a sweet juice with just a. Mcintosh, comparing apples to apples a chart to help you choose the. Describes varieties and suggests substitutions for apples. Similar to a classic mcintosh, this variety packs an even crunchier, crisper bite without a sour, puckery aftertaste. The question here should really be why not, as tasty cortland apple uses abound.
Forget trying to find a decent macintosh in california. A large redstriped apple best described as juicy, this apple is great for fruit plates and garnishes because it wont turn brown quickly when cut. Its color is a flush of crimson against a pale yellow background sprinkled with short, dark red stripes and tender, snow white flesh inside. The mcintosh style is typified by attractive dark red or more often crimson colours, and a crunchy bite, often with bright white flesh.
How to choose the best apples for baking and cooking allrecipes. Winning new england apple pie recipes feature cortlands new. When you use the right kinds of apples for your recipes, your dishes can go from good to delicious. It wont cook as well, have the structure of other apples. Sadly, there isnt a really good substitute for the mac in the off season, though empire, and its generic vinous and berry qualities, are widely available most of the year in supermarkets. Russell steven powell the influence of mcintosh on the worlds apple supply extends well beyond the mcintosh itself. However as is often the case with mcintosh crosses, cortland is very much in the mcintosh mould, with the characteristic crimson red skin and glistening sweet white flesh. Cortland is an excellent dessert and processing apple, sweet with a hint of tartness and tender white flesh. Its an older selection that is almost completely red with white flesh. Jul 12, 2018 the cortland is a relatively soft apple, although not quite as soft as the mcintosh. Its an older selection with white flesh and red skin. This is a perfect weekend dessert that you can enjoy by the warmth of a cozy fire. What is a good substitute for a mac which makes wonderful ciderjuice, turns into mush to quote some when baked and can be turned into applesauce so smooth, velvety and flavorful. The closest i have been able to find is a pink lady a.
Picture a fresh fruit cup featuring beautiful, snowwhite apples. The best mcintosh apples recipes on yummly ovenbaked harvest apples, ovenbaked harvest apples, mcintosh applesauce. Like the mcintosh, the cortland is a soft apple, though not quite as soft as a mcintosh. You are in luck, marle i just checked your profile to see if you live in the us. Comparing apples to apples 102010 this is a summary of recommended uses for some of the more popular apple varieties. Macs and red delicious are two of the least desirable apples for baking. Few apples are as eagerly anticipated every fall as macoun, and apple lovers will be happy to know that they are now available at most new england orchards.
The cortland apple tree requires 8001,000 chill hours and will serve as a good pollinator for red gravenstein, mcintosh, and honeycrisp apples. They are outstanding in pies for their flavor, size, and because they hold their shape well when baked. The best apples for baking are apples that hold their shape and dont get mushy when baked or cooked. Mcintosh achieves its best flavor in colder apple growing regions. Choose variety pollination of cortland apple trees your cortland apple tree is in flowering group 3. Its likely made with cortland, the very best apple country salad apple. The semidwarf cortland apple is a smaller variation of this midlate season bloomer that ripens in late september. By the time they are shipped here from wherever they come from, they are mushy and disgusting. You may be tempted to make your pie from one of the six apple varieties that dominate the domestic market yearround. Some apples are better suited for eating raw because of their texture and flavor, others are better for pies and baking because they hold. Apple equivalents, measures, and substitutions for cooking. If substituting another variety in a salad, dip it in acidulated water first to keep it from darkening. Empires are a cross between mcintosh and red delicious apples. This warm old fashioned apple crisp will make your house smell wonderful as the buttery, oatmeal topping is baking over the apples, sugar and cinnamon.
Golden delicious, baldwin, cortland, and idareds are highly recommended by cooks illustrated. What is another type of apple that would be a good substitute for. Cortlands are juicy and slightly tart, with bright red skin and snowy white flesh. Cortland is a typical mcintosh style apple variety, and ranks about 12th in terms of us apple production. Some apples are good for snacking, and others are better suited for baking. Mcintosh apples are just better when grown in colder areas. Mcintosh babies cortland, empire, and macoun new england. Most whiteblossom crabapples will also be good pollinators for this variety.