Types of Apples at Parlee Farms
Pick Your Own Honeycrisp Apples at Parlee Farms
Pick Your Own Apples season is about to start, and we have a lot of apple varieties for you to choose from over the next seven weeks! We have apples to pick well into October, and each of our apples has its own, unique qualities. Here’s a look at most of the apples we have available, when they will be available (either for picking or in our Farmstand), and the best qualities of each of them:
First of the Season Apples – August – Early September
Paula Red
This apple is great for both cooking and eating. It has a firm enough texture for most recipes, but also tastes great on its own. It is tart, crisp, and juicy.
Sansa
This apple is actually a cross between Gala and Arcane apples, and it is very similar in taste and texture to Gala. This apple is best eaten fresh.
Ginger Gold
This apple has a yellow skin, and it is both sweet and mildly tart. You can enjoy this apple fresh or use it in recipes like apple pie and apple crisp. When you cut into this apple, it is very slow to turn brown, so if you do eat it fresh you can enjoy it in slices!
Jonamac
Jonamac is a cross between McIntosh and Jonathan apples. This apple is best for eating fresh off the tree, and it ripens about a week before the McIntosh apples.
Early Season Apples – Early/Mid September
Fulford Gala
The Fulford Gala is a large variety of Gala with a blush rather than stripes and a bright red color. This variety is originally from New Zealand with a mild, sweet flavor and texture.
Marshall Mac
First discovered on a Massachusetts farm, the Marshall McIntosh is the same as a regular McIntosh except it ripens much sooner and has a more intense red color. It also has a slightly more intense flavor.
Honeycrisp
Our most popular apple, the Honey Crisp is just like it sounds: explosive crispness with a sweet honey flavor with a bit of tartness. Honey Crisp apples are popular for snacking, baking, pies, and salads.
Pioneer Mac
The Pioneer Mac, despite the name, isn’t a true McIntosh but a Mac-type apple with a richer red color. The Pioneer Mac has firmer, whiter flesh than most McIntosh strains.
Mid-Season Apples – Late September / Early October
Macoun
Macoun apples were developed in New York in the 1930s and is one of the parents of the Honeycrisp apple. It is extra sweet and juicy, with a hint of crunch. Macoun apples are highly aromatic and is popular as a dessert apple.
Cortland
Cortland apples were developed in the late 19th century and best known for their extremely white and tender flesh. This juicy apple is very sweet with very slight tartness and is the top apple for baking. It is also a great for fresh eating and salads.
Morning Mist Fuji
Morning Mist Fuji is a variety of the traditional Fuji apple that ripens up to one month early to increase the availability of this popular crisp, sweet hybrid. It is very sweet and juicy and great in salads.
Empire
The Empire apple is a cross between the popular McIntosh and Red Delicious apples. Popular for its crunchy, crisp texture, Empire apples are the perfect blend of tart and sweet.
Snow Sweet
The Snow Sweet apple is a unique apple developed in Minnesota with a sweet and almost buttery flavor, a bit of tartness, and rich overtones. It is slow to brown, so it is a great choice for fresh eating and salads.
Crimson Crisp
The Crimson Crisp certainly lives up to its name with an incredibly crisp texture and a sharp and sweet flavor with notes of spice.
Late Season Apples – Mid October
Fortune
If you like your apples with a crispy, spicy bite, the Fortune variety is a good choice. This apple has a somewhat spicy flavor and it’s a cross between the Empire and Northern Spy apples. An excellent baking apple!
Jonagold
Jonagold is a cross between the tart Jonathan apple and the mellow, sweet Golden Delicious apple. This sweet and slightly tart apple is crisp yet juicy, ideal for snacking, frying, salads, and pies.
Golden Delicious
The Golden Delicious remains a very popular apple variety. This crisp, yellow apple has a mild and sweet flavor. Because Golden Delicious are so sweet and firm, they are ideal for pies and baking.
Crimson Topaz
The Crimson Topaz apple is a cross between the Vanda and Rubin apples. Crimson Topaz apples have crisp, cream-colored flesh that is more tart than sweet, although it mellows as it’s stored.
Shizuka
Shizuka are large, yellow-skinned apples from Japan. Similar to Mutsu apples, Shizuka apples are sweeter and milder with low acidity that makes them slow to turn brown.
Hampshire Mac
Hampshire Mac apples are a type of McIntosh from New Hampshire that ripen a couple of weeks after the conventional McIntosh. This variety is very firm with a juicy, crisp texture and tart flavor.
Red Delicious
The Red Delicious is one of the most well-known apple varieties. They are great for fresh eating and are known for maintaining their bright red appearance.
Cameo
Cameo apples are recognizable with thin red and orange striped skin and a sweet yet tart flavor. Cameos are very crispy with a flavor slightly reminiscent of pears. Popular for snacking, they are also excellent for baking and salads.
Mutsu
Mutsu apples, also known as Crispin, were first grown in Japan as a cross between the Indo and Golden Delicious apples. Mutsu apples are known for their sweet and tart flavor with subtle spice and juicy yet crisp texture.
We update TODAY’S FARM NEWS daily with what apples are available for pick your own and available already picked in our Farmstand. During apple pickings season, you’ll certainly have plenty to choose from at Parlee Farms!
Categorized in: Apples
This post was written by Parlee Farms