Bellewood Apples – Varieties to Love
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BelleWood Apples – 21 varieties to love! 6140 Guide Meridian Lynden, WA 98264 360-318-7720 www.bellewoodfarms.com 2019 -2020 Early Season Varieties: Ready in early September Sansa: The Sansa was introduced in 1969 from Japan. Parentage: Gala and Akane. It is harvested early September. The Sansa is an exceptional good early apple. The fruit is firm, yet tender, juicy and exceptionally sweet. As with many early apples, Sansa apples should be enjoyed fresh, soon after harvest, for a terrific eating experience. It is also, good for salads, sauce and baking. Sunrise: Sunrise is an attractive modern apple variety, developed in the late 20th century at the famous Summerland Research Station in Canada (home of the Spartan apple), and it is one of the best early-season apple varieties. Parentage: McIntosh and Golden Delicious. Harvested late August to early September. This is a high quality dessert fruit with flesh that is crisp, juicy and sweet. Sunrise apples are at their best when kept refrigerated. When treated like a delicate peach, these totally unique apples will keep very well. Gravenstein: Introduced to the Northeast in 1820 from the Duke of Austinburg’s garden in Gravenstein, Denmark. This is a world-traveled heritage apple, with names for it in Russian, Italian, German and Danish as well as English. The Gravenstein is a terrific sauce and pie apple. It is a roundish, irregularly shaped apple with a very short stem. It is harvested in early to mid Sept. The Gravenstein is crisp, juicy, aromatic and full of old-fashion tart-sweet flavor. Zestar: Introduced in 1999 from the University of Minnesota breeding program. Parentage: State Fair and Mn1691 (new apple not yet named). Excellent combination of sugar and acid. Great for eating fresh and cooking. Looking for a “Country Apple” like you use to eat? Zestar is for you! Tsugaru: Chance seedling of the Golden Delicious. Introduced in 1975 from Japan. Gourmet dessert apple, rated as 2nd best eating apple in Japan, Tsugaru (west part of Aomori Prefecture) is the largest apple producing district in Japan. The flesh of the fruit is creamy white, very juicy, lightly flavored, and moderately sweet with low acidity and very little browning. Mid Season Varieties Ready in early Oct Jonamac: Introduced in 1972 from New York. Parentage: Jonathan and McIntosh. Harvested mid to late September. Excellent for fresh use; good for salads and baking. Jonamac is an excellent dessert quality apple ripening about a week before McIntosh, which is one of its parents. The fruit is very similar in appearance to Mac, but is more highly colored and firmer. Eating quality is superior to Mac. The fruit is only medium sized and will soften in storage. Honeycrisp: Introduced in 1960 from Minnesota. Parentage: Researchers originally thought this new variety would fail and threw the new trees on the burn pile. One person saw the future of the apple, grabbed a few off the pile and planted them. The parentage was lost, but the Honeycrisp survived! (Update 2017 – it now has been documented that the parents are: Keepsake and MN1627 an apple unreleased and no longer available). They are harvested mid to late September. The Honeycrisp apple is continually ranking as one of the best apples in taste tests. It is a large fruit that is exceptionally crisp and juicy. It is a gourmet eating apple, with excellent storage capability under normal refrigeration. It also retains its white flesh color long after it has been cut. It is also good for baking, but tends to take a little more time to cook. Gala: Introduced in 1965 from New Zealand. Parentage: Cox’s Orange Pippen and Golden Delicious. Harvested late September to early October. Gala is a sensory extravaganza! It has an iridescent red blush over a creamy yellow background. The flesh is cream-colored and dense, deeply sweet and intensely aromatic. It is a dessert apple: sweet and delicate that should be served with foods that are not overpowering. The Gala is best served fresh, as cooking destroys some of its most delightful qualities. Ambrosia: A low-acid apple, which makes it easier for kids and older people to digest. Parentage: Jonathan and Golden Delicious. Its versatility makes it suitable for eating out of hand, for salads or dessert, in entrees, or with cheese. From Similkameen Valley of British Columbia, it was a chance seedling among a row of Jonagold apples. It is slow to oxidize when it is cut or sliced. It remains fresh and white for many hours Jonagold: Introduced in 1968 from New York. Parentage: Golden Delicious and Jonathon. Harvested the first of October. The apple has a fluffily crisp fruit. It is juicy and aromatic and has a sweet-sour taste. Excellent for fresh eating, baking, pies, and sauces. Jonagolds make great fried apples. Simply sauté in a little butter and add a little cinnamon. This is the apple that brought the apple industry back to Whatcom. Belle de Boskoop: Introduced in the 1850s from a nursery in Boskoop, Holland. It was probably brought to America in the 1870s, and may be a bud sport of Reinette de Montfort. It is still popular in the Netherlands today. Harvested late October. An excellent cooker, the firm, crisp, creamy yellow flesh is rather acid and very aromatic. It keeps very well, and sweetens somewhat in storage. Belle de Boskoop is essentially a dual- purpose apple, suitable for both dessert and culinary uses. It works equally well in a savory salad, or can be used in pies, pastries and sauce or flans. Belle de Boskoop keeps its shape when cooked. Golden Supreme: There is debate over where it originated. One source claims it was discovered in Clay County, West Virginia, and another some place in Idaho. Both of them agree the apple was created by chance and introduced in 1960. It is harvested late September to early October. The Golden Supreme is excellent for eating and all culinary uses. A medium sized apple that is greenish yellow to golden brown in color with a firm cream-colored flesh that provides a sweet juicy flavor. This apple is a good selection for drying, for baking, and for making cider. It can be kept for months in refrigerated storage. McIntosh- Late to mid season. Discovered in Prescott, Ontario 1811 by John McIntosh. It is a Eastern Favorite. A large, bright red apple brushed with vivid green. McIntosh is the archetype of the American apple style-perfumed, crisp, juicy, snowy white flesh. The flavor is good, being sub-acid and perfumed. Crisp, but not hard, white flesh with berry-like aroma and high juiciness. It is traditionally the most popular cultivar in Eastern Canada and New England, well known for the pink sauce unpeeled McIntoshes make. It is the superior eating apple and well suited for applesauce, cider, and pies. It is extremely common to find this particular cultivar packed in children's lunches across North America owing to its small to medium size and longstanding reputation as a healthy snack. Late Season Varieties: Ready in late October Fuji: Introduced in 1962 from Japan. Parentage: Red Delicious and Ralls Janet. Harvested in late October to early November. The flesh of the Fuji is extremely crisp and juicy . and actually improves with storage. It is great for eating fresh. While it is difficult to grow in our maritime climate, BelleWood Acres continues to explore strains that will “grow” for you. Check out the pockets of sugar. Idared: First developed at the University of Idaho Agricultural Experiment Station in 1942; it is a cross between two apple varieties (Jonathan x Wagener). The Idared has a white flesh with a firm body, and generally considered to be tart and juicy. For these reasons, it is very well suited for making apple sauces, pies, and cakes. It remains hardy and durable till the end of January, and can even last until June with proper storage. Harvested mid to late October. Flavor improves with storage. Sonata: Introduced 1986, it was developed in Dresden, Germany. The Sonata is a cross among the Golden Delicious, an old English apple, the Orange Cox Pippin, and the Duchess of Oldenburg. The Sonata is a delightful apple, sweet with a whisper of tart. A truly smack-your-lips-after-every-bite kind of fruit. Dresden is the home to many great composers so it was given a musical name. The Sonata is a symphony for the tongue. It is a medium-sized apple with excellent flavor. It is an attractive apple with a bright, pinkish red blush over a yellow background with a firm and finely grained, creamy color flesh. Like a fine wine, the flavor matures in storage. Orin: (The Green One) Introduced from Japan, the sweet Orin is a true delicacy. In Japan it is customary to slice and share these apples with family and friends following meals and for special occasion. It has a subtle pear-like flavor, (some can taste Pineapple) that is a treat to remember. Parentage: Golden Delicious and Indo. Ranks #3 in taste tests (Fuji is #1, Tsugaru is #2). All three varieties are grown at BelleWood. School House Red: (The oblong One) New (2010) to BelleWood as our mystery apple. It is believed to be a cross between a Gala and something else. Named because of its color and small size, it is perfect for our school age visitors and for those who want a smaller snack. It is perfect for your pocket! It is crunchy and full of sweet juice. BelleWood Prince: The original Red JonaprinceTM hailed from the small town of Weert, in the Netherlands in 1994.