The Red Delicious apple variety was discovered in 1875 as a chance seedling growing on Jesse Hiatt's farm in Peru, Iowa. Thinking it was a nuisance, Hiatt tried to chop down the seedling, but the tree grew back repeatedly. On the third time, Hiatt allowed it to grow and produce apples. In 1893, Hiatt took his apple, called Hawkeye, to a fruit show in Missouri. Following the show, Stark Brothers Nursery purchased the rights to market the apple and renamed it Red Delicious. Today, the classic coke-bottle shape and colour of Red Delicious makes it one of the most well-known apple varieties in the United States.
The Red Delicious is a cultivar of apple that was recognized in Peru, Iowa in 1880. As the cultivar was optimized for color and durability for major supermarket chains, taste was sacrificed, and consumers began to reject the Red Delicious. Red Delicious still remains the single largest cultivar produced in the state, but others are growing in popularity, notably Fuji apples and Gala apples.
Fuji apples were developed in the late 1930s by growers at the Tohoku Research Station in Fujisaki, Japan. Fuji apples are a cross between two classic American apple varieties - Red Delicious and Virginia Ralls Janet. Fuji apples were introduced to the United States in the 1960s. Since then, the apple has grown into one of today's most popular varieties. Fans of sweet apples adore it because with Brix, or sugar levels, of 15-18, it is the sweetest apple around! Fuji apples are also great storing apples, and because of that, are available year-round.
Fuji apples are typically large or very large and round, on average the size of a baseball. They contain between 9-11% sugars by weight and have a dense flesh that is sweeter and crispier than many other apple varieties, making them popular with consumers around the world. Fuji apples also have a very long shelf life compared to other apples, even without refrigeration. With refrigeration, Fuji apples can last up to 5-6 months.
Braeburn was found as a chance seedling in 1952 by a farmer in New Zealand and was first commercially grown at the Braeburn Orchard near Motueka where the fruit derives its name from. Ideal for cooking, the Braeburn apple is available from October through April in the northern hemisphere and comes in large to medium sizes offering a sweet and tart taste to its devourer.
Uniquely a New Zealand apple, Braeburn is particularly suited to our climate here in Hawkes Bay. Picked during late March and APril. Medium to large in size, it is a juicy crisp apple with firm flesh and clean sweet flavours. Braeburns are great for eating or baking and keep well.
Originating in New Zealand, Royal Gala apples have a bold, red striped appearance over a creamy yellow background. They are crisp, with a subtle, sweet taste and firm flesh.
Granny Smith is a striking, distinctively bright green apple with a refreshing tangy-tart taste. Its bright white flesh is crisp moderately juicy and resists browning when sliced.
Granny Smith apples are a light speckled green in color. They are crisp, juicy, tart apples which are excellent for both cooking and eating out of the hand. They also are favored for salads because the slices do not brown as quickly as other varieties. It also tends to have a harder texture than other green apples, posing problems for denture wearers. It is particularly popular as the main ingredient of apple pies, its tart flavor being well suited to baking.
Pink Lady ® brand Cripps Pink cultivar apples (usually referred to as Pink Lady or Pink Ladies) originated in 1973 after John Cripps, a researcher from Western Australia’s Department of Agriculture, crossed the Golden Delicious and Lady Williams apple varieties. The result was a vibrantly pink apple with a unique flavor. Pink Lady apples were released for commercial production in Australia in 1989 before finally making their way to the U.S. in the late 1990s. It is a trademarked variety, which means growers must obtain a license before they can use the brand name. That means only high-quality apples make it under the Pink Lady Brand name.
The breed of apple born in the US at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Jonagold, is a result of fusion between Golden Delicious and Jonathan family of apples; a large fruit with a finely thin skin, Jonagold is famous for its appetizing smell, juiciness and sweet and sour taste.
Jonagold is a cultivar of apple, a cross between Golden Delicious and Jonathan. They form a large sweet fruit with a thin skin. However because of their large size they are now favoured by commercial growers in many parts of the world. Jonagold is triploid, and as such not only requires a second type of apple for pollen but are also incapable of providing pollen for other trees.
Honeycrisp (Malus domestica 'Honeycrisp') is an apple cultivar developed at the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station's Horticultural Research Center at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Selected in 1974 as the B.O.D., and released in 1991, the Honeycrisp has rapidly become a prized commercial commodity, as its sweetness, firmness, and tartness make it an ideal apple for eating raw. The Honeycrisp also retains its pigment well, and boasts a relatively long shelf life when stored in cool, dry conditions.
The Jonathan apple is a medium-sized apple, sweet and full of acidity, with a tough but smooth skin. It is closely related to the Esopus Spitzenburg apple.
The original apple bearing the name "Jonathan" which has continued to be sold in nurseries and grocery stores was developed by Rachel Negus Higley. According to The Higleys and their ancestry by Mary Coffin Johnson (New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1896), Mrs. Higley gathered seeds from the local cider mill in Connecticut before the family made their journey to the wilds of Ohio in 1804 where she planted them. She continued to carefully cultivate her orchard and named the resulting variety after her husband, Jonathan Higley.
An exciting new variety, bred in New Zealand as a superior looking and sweet eating apple. This apple has a bright future and has a market strategy to promote it. With a unique rose pink skin colour, Pacefic Rose has sweet flavours and crisp juicy flesh. It has a round shape with smooth thick non-greasy skin.