Advertisement But what once was as simple for consumers as choosing between red and green has become a maze of choice. Some 2,500 named apple varieties are grown in the United States with more than 7,500 produced worldwide, according to the U.S. Apple Association.
Only about 100 varieties are grown commercially, with 15 making up 90 percent of the harvest. These mass-market selections are bred primarily for their appearance, high yields, size, bruise-resistance — and longer shelf life.
“Once you pick an apple, it’s dying,” said David Bedford, a research scientist and head of the apple breeding program at the University of Minnesota’s Agricultural Experiment Station at Chanhassen. “From there, it’s all downhill. But if you start with a sturdier apple, it’s a longer hill, a longer way to the bottom.”
The dizzying array today might have shocked early Americans. Just a half-dozen wild crab apple varieties awaited British colonists arriving in America in the 17th century. Thousands of hillside orchards soon were planted with the progeny of favored European varieties.
It was a rare pioneer farmyard that didn’t include a family orchard made up of a dozen or so obscure yet quaint-sounding varieties like Maiden Blush, Western Beauty, Chenango Strawberry, Roxbury Russet and Westfield Seek No Further.
Some matured early and were pressed into thirst-quenching summer ciders. Others, the so-called “winter bananas,” were picked later and stored in root cellars covered with layers of straw, to be enjoyed during the dark, cold days of winter.
“There were some real jewels among them with great flavors, rich with juices and unusual aromas,” said Tom Burford, an author, lecturer, orchard and nursery consultant from Lynchburg, Va. Burford has been dubbed “Professor Apple” for his extensive work rediscovering antique varieties previously believed extinct.
“Many of the ‘cookers’ were so sweet you never added sugar to any of the recipes,” he said. “Others, though, I call ‘quick spitters.’ One bite and you spit them out. They were pretty awful.”
Consumers are becoming more discerning about apples and many are seeking out the uncommon flavors that can be sampled in roadside stands or farmers markets around rural America.
“I’ve had more than one person come up to me at one of my apple tastings and say, ‘I did not realize that apples had such a wide spectrum of tastes,’” Burford said. “It’s good that we’re getting that kind of interest again in apples and flavorful foods.”
Curiosity and historic considerations aside, most of the antique varieties aren’t grown now for good reason, said Richard Marini, department head and professor of horticulture at Penn State University.
“Some were susceptible to disease,” he said. “Some of them were alternate bearers, meaning they would bear a crop every other year. Some tended to drop their fruit from the tree before it was ready to be picked. Some rotted readily in storage. Some just didn’t look pretty. They were grown in the old days mostly for home use and cider. Others were too fragile and didn’t travel well.”
Despite the thousands of existing varieties, the search for “the perfect apple” continues with scientists like Bedford leading the charge.
“The two big things we’re looking for in our breeding program are texture and flavor,” Bedford said. “Eating quality is our priority.”
Bedford said experts have rejected a past emphasis on size and color — a focus that produced what he called the “indifferent tasting” Red Delicious. Bedford headed the research team that developed the Honeycrisp, a crunchy cross between the Macoun apple and a Honeygold. It was made available for commercial release in 1991 after three decades of testing.
“Newer varieties like the Granny Smith, the Gala and the Raeburn started the flavor revolution,” Bedford said. “Now we’re getting back around to where people want apples that taste good.”
