A hint of tartness makes this a great baking variety, used frequently in desserts. A descendant of the McIntosh, this variety is a bit sweeter than its ancestor. Known for its white flesh and excellent flavor.
Empires premiered in 1966 in the Empire State of New York, a cross between Red Delicious and McIntosh developed by the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station. This crisp, juicy apple has a delightful sweet-tart flavor and creamy white flesh, making it a good all-purpose apple. Stake out your Empire between September and July.
Crisp snappy bite over a mellow sweetness. Michigan’s 3rd most popular apple for fresh eating or cooking. Looks great, smells sweet, eats like a dream!
A gingery-smooth, sweet taste treat lies under a thin skin. The most popular yellow apple, Golden’s may be eaten fresh or cut up in salads. Professional’s choice for applesauce or cider, baking pies and other desserts.
This apple is hot! And mighty crisp. Combines unusual color and excellent sweet flavor with a great bite. Use it for fresh eating, fresh-cut slices or cut up in salads.
This variety of apples was discovered in Woodstock, N.Y., in the 1920s and is known for its use in pies and applesauce. This crimson apple with occasional touches of green has a spicy tang that blends well with other varieties in sauces and cider. Jonathan is typically available from September through April.
This old, well-known variety, was discovered as a chance seedling by John McIntosh in 1811. Its deep red finish sometimes carries a green blush. Juicy, tangy tart McIntosh has a tender, white flesh. It is best used for snacking and applesauce, but some people enjoy its tart flavor in pies as well. (Cook’s hints: McIntosh’s flesh cooks down easily; if pie making, cut your slices thick or add a thickener). This apple is typically available from September through May.
Make sure you try this one! Superbly crisp and juicy with shades of tart and sweet in each apple. Usually large and aromatic. Highly ranked by apple connoisseurs. Popular in Europe, but better from Michigan’s cooler climate.
The Northern Spy apple (Malus ‘Northern Spy’), sometimes known as “Northern Spie” or “Northern Pie Apple” is a variety of apple native to the Northern East Coast of the United States and parts of Michigan and Ontario. It is popular in upstate New York. Skin color is a green ground, flushed with red stripes where not shaded, and it produces fairly late in the season (late October and beyond). It is juicy, crisp and mildly sweet with a rich, aromatic subacid flavor, noted for high vitamin C content. Its characteristic flavor is more tart than most popular varieties, and its flesh is harder/crunchier than most, with a thin skin. The Northern Spy apple is commonly used for desserts and pies, but is also used for juices and cider. Further, the Northern Spy is also an excellent apple for storage, as it tends to last longer due to late maturation.
Photos by: Michigan Apple Committee