Japanese Apple Akane In Competition Too
Welcome to episode 2 of American Apple! The dogs and I drove into Appleberry Farm in Cross Plains, Wisconsin, this morning to see what has ripened since our last visit. While Cricket barked at the kids heading out to the orchard to pick their own fruit (she is, after all, in charge of security), I selected four apple varieties to try. I bagged an international group. In addition to heirloom apples from England, Canada and California, I grabbed a Japanese apple new to me — Akane. Akane really is too young to qualify for this competition, but what the hell, we let her in anyway.
Pitmaston Pineapple
Pink Pearls, peeled for pie
Akane apple
Meet the Apples
Pitmaston Pineapple
You know this one is old just from the name. The card in the basket confirmed what the apple’s moniker implies: “Tastes like pineapple.” Hmmm. I’m not particularly fond of pineapple unless it’s in cake or curry or on pizza. But in the spirit of inquiry, I picked up half a dozen of these. They’re smallish and green, with a creamy-colored interior. Raw, I didn’t really notice the pineapple flavor. The flesh is crisp, the flavor neither too sweet nor too tart — a very nice desert apple. These apples hail from England and date to the 1780s.
Pink Pearl
If I had to pick an apple on looks alone, I would choose Pink Pearl. The exterior is pale green, with a rosy wash. Cut one open and you find pure white flesh heavily marbled with shocking pink. Introduced in 1944 by California plant breeder, Albert Etter, Pink Pearl is a delightful eating apple, crispy and juicy, tart and refreshing.
Snow / Fameuse
Snow is the oldest apple in our group this week. Reputedly brought to Canada by French settlers sometime in the 1700s, Snow is a typical-looking apple on the outside with a beautiful white interior. Like Pink Pearl and Pitmaston Pineapple, Snow is a delicious desert apple. The flesh is crispy, very juicy, and nicely sweet.
Akane
Akane is a round, very dark red apple. Introduced in 1970 by the Tohuku Agricultural Experiment Station in Japan, the apple’s flesh is quite white and very much like Snow’s. The flavor is crisp, juicy and sweet, without the tartness of Pink Pearl or Pitmaston Pineapple.
Competition Results
If last week’s mini pies were the evening gown competition, this week is swim suits. Apple sauce is simply cooked apples and a scoop of sugar. There’s nothing to hide behind. For each apple variety, we poured 1/4 c. of water in a sauce pan and added five quartered apples, stems and flowers removed. We brought the water to a boil, lowered the heat and steamed the apples until soft. Then we ran the apples through a food mill and stirred in 1/8 c. sugar.
Clockwise from top: Pink Pearl, Pitmaston Pineapple, Akane, and Snow apple sauces
One of the most delightful results of this week’s trials was visual. Depending on the apple, home made apple sauce can turn an unappealing brownish green or brownish red. But all of our contestants produced beautifully colored sauce. Pitmaston Pineapple’s was a fabulous butter yellow. As you might guess, Pink Pearl’s was a vivid pink, Akane’s a more restrained dark rose. Snow’s was a pale blush. And flavor? Three of our four judges liked Akane’s apple sauce best, with Pitmaston Pineapple falling just behind. Our fourth judge (me) preferred Pitmaston Pineapple’s flavor and ranked Akane second. The judges were unanimous in placing Pink Pearl’s sauce third and in rating Snow’s fourth. We all liked the sauces of our top three finishers. Unfortunately, Snow’s was rather bland, with a course texture that no one liked.
Top Three Apples Worth Buying Next Year
What a week! Three great apple discoveries! Pink Pearl is on my list to look for again next year, if only to cut one open and marvel at the audaciousness inside. (Because it retains its pink color when baked, it makes a great lattice-topped pie.) Pitmaston Pineapple, too, is another one I’ll get again, for the buttery gorgeousness of its sauce. And crowd-pleasing youngster Akane will probably find its way into my apple bag at least once next year.
Visit us again next week for another episode of our heirloom apple revue!
