My never ending search to search out for the next apple I have not tasted, led me to Berlin Heights, Ohio and to Quarry Hill Orchards. Upon looking over their inventory of apples, I was excited to come and try the Suncrisp apple. Growing up with just the options of Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, and Granny Smith, I always preferred Golden Delicious (talk about the dark ages!). There is a soft spot in my heart for a yellow skinned apple. Blondee and Grimes Golden have come to be my favorite yellow skinned apples.
The Suncrisp apple was created by a crossing together a Golden Delicious with a cross of Cortland and Cox's Orange Pippin. An apple that has a background like this has to be good, right? The apple came out of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station in 1994, developed by a fruit breeder with Rutgers University. The apple has two very describable traits - longevity and not prone to browning. This apple can last up to 6 months in storage, which is way better than it's parent the Golden Delicious. They also tend to not brown when sliced. The apple ripens in early to mid October.
My Experience with this Apple (Rating Scale 1-10)
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Aspect, Score
Crispiness, 9
Tartness, 5
Apple Flavor, 8
Sweetness, 7
Juiciness, 8
Where I Bought Them, Quarry Hill Orchards (Berlin Heights OH)
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Overall Feeling:
If you have been turned off to yellow apples because of bland and boring Golden Delicious, give the Suncrisp a try. It is crisp as it name suggests. It has a firm, hard texture that reminds me of some of my favorite Russet style apples. Some describe the texture as being coarse. It has a thick skin, which I don't mind at all but my wife is not a fan of. It's an excellent out of hand eating apple. At first harvest the apple is more tart, but will get sweeter as it ages. I am eating one now 10 days after buying at the orchard and it has a sweet flavor balanced out with the right amount of tartness. I like it even more now than I did when I had my first bite at the orchard.
Although I have not tried it first hand yet (been enjoying them out of hand so much) I have heard that they are good option for baking. They would be fun to pair up with some tart apples in a pie or cobbler.
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