Many of us have fond memories of fall that include apple picking, but did you know much about the apples were you were picking? Nearly 2,500 varieties of apples grow every year in the USA. Turns out that some of the most commonly picked apples have quite the history.
Gala
Gala apples are the best for making apple sauce and most other ways you could cook with an apple. Don’t forget to refrigerate them! This type of apple was first grown in New Zealand, and is now one of the most widely grown varieties in the world.
Honeycrisp
Honeycrisp apples are fantastic for eating fresh and doing most baking activities. They are very sweet, which is likely why they are such a fan favorite. The honeycrisp apple was developed in the 1960s by the University of Minnesota, so you have them to thank for your giant, sweet apples.
Empire
Empire apples are very crisp and are fantastic for chopping up for a salad or using in sauces. Its parents happen to be two classic apple varieties–Delicious and McIntosh. Keeping along the college theme, the empire apple was developed in the 1940s at Cornell University. Andy Bernard would be impressed.
Jonathan
The Jonathan apple is tart, crisp, and juicy. Not to be confused with your friend Jonathan who could potentially share some of those characteristics… In the early 1900s sir Jonathan was one of the most commercially-produced varieties in the US.
Red Delicious
The red delicious is a sweet and juicy apple. Rumor has it that this apple has strong shelf appeal, which I think is the equivalent of a man having a good haircut. The Red Delicious sits tall and has an intense crimson color.
Jonagold
Jonagold’s are a simple hybrid of the tart Jonathan apples and the sweet Golden Delicious. They result in a great apple for eating fresh, and they also do well in pies. The Jonagold was developed in the 1940s and is the child of Jonathan… the crisp and juicy friend.