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  3. 9 Apple Varieties You Need to Know

9 Apple Varieties You Need to Know

By Food & Wine Updated May 09, 2019
Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.
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Credit: Photo © Clare Barboza
After the very first American apple, the Roxbury Russet, appeared outside Boston around 1630, there grew to be an estimated 7,098 varieties of the fruit available in United States. Over the years, however, many have gone out of fashion or been almost lost. In his new book, "Apples of Uncommon Character," writer Rowan Jacobsen rediscovers our country’s apple diversity: He personally tasted 500 varieties of the fruit to see what all of us have been missing (a lot, apparently). —Yaran Noti
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Hidden Rose

Hidden Rose
Credit: Photo © Clare Barboza

Pink-fleshed, it tastes like berries.

Apples of Uncommon Character: Heirlooms, Modern Classics, and Little-Known Wonders

  • Iconic Fall Flavors: Mushrooms, Apples, Butternut Squash

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Cox’s Orange Pippin

Cox’s Orange Pippin
Credit: Photo © Clare Barboza
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Born in England in 1825 and generally considered the best-tasting apple ever, with citrus and pineapple notes.

  • Incredible Apple Recipes

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Chestnut Crabapple

Chestnut Crabapple
Credit: Photo © Clare Barboza
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It’s small, incredibly crisp, caramel-y and sweet—like a graham cracker with a touch of lemon.

  • Great Fall Desserts

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Esopus Spitzenberg

Esopus Spitzenberg
Credit: Photo © Clare Barboza
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Very sweet and very tart, it carries a powerful one-two punch. It was Thomas Jefferson’s favorite.

  • Fall Produce Recipes

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Golden Russet

Golden Russet
Credit: Photo © Clare Barboza
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Classic example of a russet, with brown, sandpapery skin, it is very firm and has a nutty flavor.

  • America's Best Apple Pies

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GoldRush

GoldRush
Credit: Photo © Clare Barboza
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Amazingly firm, with lots of acid, making it perfect for pie.

  • Apple Cocktails

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Black Oxford

Black Oxford
Credit: Photo © Clare Barboza
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It looks like a plum—small and purple—and has a unique, spiced-pear flavor. There is a Black Oxford tree in Hallowell, Maine, that is 215 years old.

  • Apple Pie Recipes

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Calville Blanc

Calville Blanc
Credit: Photo © Clare Barboza
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Ribbed like a quince, it is very firm and very tart and considered the best tarte Tatin apple in Normandy.

  • Amazing Apple Desserts

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Pixie Crunch

Pixie Crunch
Credit: Photo © Clare Barboza
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Like a pint-size Honeycrisp, it is half the size and twice as sweet.

Apples of Uncommon Character: Heirlooms, Modern Classics, and Little-Known Wonders

  • Fall Flavor Combinations

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    1 of 9 Hidden Rose
    2 of 9 Cox’s Orange Pippin
    3 of 9 Chestnut Crabapple
    4 of 9 Esopus Spitzenberg
    5 of 9 Golden Russet
    6 of 9 GoldRush
    7 of 9 Black Oxford
    8 of 9 Calville Blanc
    9 of 9 Pixie Crunch

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    9 Apple Varieties You Need to Know
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