Swiss Gourmet (Arlet) Apples

I was shopping at the Produce Station in Ann Arbor, Michigan, admiring their Honeycrisp sign, when I noticed some crates of apples sitting right next to the Honeycrisp. They kind of looked like them, but where not as attractive. At first I thought these were the ugly Honeycrisp that would come at a reduced price. But instead I noticed a sign calling these “Swiss Gourmet” apples. Gourmet wasn’t the word I was originally associated these apples with. Next to the beautiful Honeycrisp they looked anything but gourmet. But before we go into how they taste (which is way more important than how they look), here is some background information on them:

The Swiss Gourmet apple is also known as an Arlet over in Europe. As the American name for the apple would suggest these apples were created in Switzerland. This apple was made by combining of one of my favorite baking apples – the Ida Red and one of my favorite apples as a kid – the Golden Delicious. It shares both of the colors of those apples in it’s hue.

My Experience with this Apple (Rating Scale 1-10)
Crispiness: 7
Tartness : 5
Apple Flavor: 6
Sweetness: 6
Juiciness: 7

Overall Feeling: It is a crisp, juicy apple that is both sweet and tart, but being more so of the former. Some people say that is has a hint of melon, berries, or cane sugar in its flavor. While I think it did have a slightly unique flavor, I don’t know if I would say any of the aforementioned flavors. I will have to try another one, see if I can detect any of those. These apples appear on the scene in early to middle September around the same time as Honeycrisp. The apple has a decent shelf life, with proper care you probably could get about 2 months. For uses, out of hand eating is the best, but I have heard of people that love to use them in applesauce as they add a nice flavor to the sauce when combined with other apples.

Interested in learning more about apples?