The apple that is sweet with a zing of flavor! Learn more about this new variety of apple and why you should be on the lookout for it.
The next apple up for review on the blog is sure to "zing" you.
It's the Sweet Zinger apple. I picked up a bag of these apples when I was visiting one of my favorite orchards, Johnston Fruit Farm with some friends.
Is this variety worthy to be on my must try list or this one just another forgettable new variety?
📜 History
This apple was created by crossing two very different apples. The Sweet 16 is a sweet apple, where Gold Rush is a late season apple that is more on the tart side. The apple was developed by the Midwest Apple Improvement Association.
Here is what the MAIA is about:
MAIA is an organization that was founded by growers and is maintained by growers to produce apple varieties that are available to all US and Canadian growers. Work continues to incorporate disease resistance and other favorable characteristics.
Their apple varieties all have a sweet taste and crisp texture. A couple other apples that they developed include Rosalee and EverCrisp.
👓 Appearance
The apple is a pinkish colored apple. The part of the apple where the sun doesn't shine on it is more of a greenish-yellow color which reminds me of it's Gold Rush parent.
⭐ Ratings
Here is what I thought when I had this apple for the first time.
| Tart | 6 |
| Sweet | 7 |
| Juiciness | 9 |
| Flavor | 8 |
| Crispiness | 8 |
With a name like Sweet Zinger, I expect an apple that has a mix of sweet and tart flavors. That is exactly what you are getting here. Speaking of flavor the apple has a very unique flavor. My family thought it had a floral tone. I think orange blossom is a good way to describe as it does have a slight citrus note.
Not all the ones I tried had the strong flavor but the ones that did were phenomenal. Best apple so far I have had developed by MAIA.
This is everything I want in an apple. It's tart and sweet at the same time. It's juicy.
My oldest daughter
I bought these apples the same time I got Rosalee and I prefer the flavor of the Sweet Zinger. My kids want to see what it would be like as a single varietal apple cider. I would be interested in trying that out as well.
Sweet Zinger apples ripen in September.
Eating Tips - You can store the apples in the fridge to extend their shelf life. However bring them to room temperature before eating for best flavor. They do best at room temperature for a while. Over a week after I purchased them I had been storing them in a drawer and there was no loss in quality. For more on getting how to know when an apple is perfect to eat, check out this post
🛒 Where to Buy
Here are all the locations that I know of. I have not seen them in a grocery store as of this writing. Make sure to leave a comment below if you know any additional orchards.
- Johnston Fruit Farm (Swanton, Ohio)
- Kuipers Family Farm (Maple Park, IL)
- Mead Orchards (Tivoli, NY)
- Hillcrest Orchards (Amherst, Ohio)
- The Orchards of Concklin (Pomona, NY)
- TK Family Farm (Rutherfordton, NC)
🍎 Give These Apples a Try
Here are some other apples you will want to check out
Have you tried this apple? What did you think? Leave a comment below telling us. Be a helper and share where you found it. You may make someone's day with your insider info on where to get them! If you are a true apple lover, you'll want to check out all of our apple reviews.
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