This apple variety has an interesting story behind it for me. In the fall of 2011 I was working for an ochard - selling apples at the farmer's market. I had a customer come up to me asking if I knew where to get any Cox's Orange Pippin apples. I have heard a lot about this variety. It's a very popular English apple and that customer had a British accent. But I had not found anyone that had it. Then the very next day, I was shopping at Produce Station in Ann Arbor and I found some Cox's Orange Pippin. What a huge surprise that was. I bought some, saving one in my lunch bag for when I ran into that customer again. I eventually did and he was very happy I was able to share with him his missed favorite apple. It made his day. He did buy some pears from the table so I was noy fired for giving out free fruit that I bought somewhere else.
This apple originated in the 19th century. Not much is known about it's parent, but one may be the Ribston Pippin. The apple is harvested in mid to late September. The skin of the apple has some orange coloring in it hence Orange Pippin.
The apple has a reputation for being a flavorful apple, good for out of hand eating and desserts. It has been a popular apple used to create new varieties. One such variety is the Pinata apple that makes it's way to store shelves around New Year's Day.
My Experience with this Apple (Rating Scale 1-10)
Crispiness: 6
Tartness : 8
Apple Flavor: 8
Sweetness: 5
Juiciness: 5
Overall Feeling: I found it to be a tart apple that has enough sweetness to it to not be too tart for out of hand eating. The apple range from medium to small in size. A perfect snack size if you ask me. If you enjoy a bit of tartness in your apple you are going to love to eat these. When I received a shipment of these apples from Frieda's Produce in 2013, I gave a try at baking them. I made mini apple pies so I could try out different apples in them. The Cox's worked out. It had enough tartness to balance out the sweetness of the pie. It held it's shape enough. It baked up a little softer than a Granny Smith or a Honeycrisp would in a pie, but not too soft at all. For my wife's taste she thought it was perfect.
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