So many varieties of apples exist that getting through them all with an apple a day would take months. Apples are quite versatile, lending themselves to sauce, juice, baking and eating raw, with different types shining according to how they are consumed. Does this Spark an idea?
Cooking
Cook rare Cole's Quince---so named for its taste---before it ripens. Chestnut Crab tastes nutty and works in dessert cooking. Calville Rouge d'Automne, originating in 1670s France, is wine-like to strawberry-like in flavor.
Brown resistant
Apples resistant to browning are great to serve in slices and in salads. White-fleshed Cortland is one, yellow and mellow Golden Delicious is another.
Interesting Names
Grimes Golden's spicy, white insides work in salads, though the apple is named for the "grimy" appearance of its skin. Foxwhelp has a bitter bite that only lends itself to cider.
Relatively New Varieties
The American Cameo, which resists browning, was introduced in 1998 as a very sweet and crunchy gourmet apple. The world met Honeycrisp in 1991, a juicy apple trademarked as "Explosively Crisp."
Storied Varieties
Thomas Jefferson liked the venerable Newtown Pippin, found on Long Island in 1759. A descendant of the apple is Ginger Gold, discovered in an orchard devastated by a hurricane and named after its discoverer's lady love.
International Fruit
Luscious Fuji originated in Japan. Spicy and crisp Braeburn hails from New Zealand, as does sweet, juicy (Royal) Gala, so dubbed after Queen Elizabeth II declared it her favorite. Old Granny Smith is an all-purpose Aussie.
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