Apple crisp made with Seek No Further apples
A Final Batch of Antique Apples
For the last time this season, I’m back with an edition of American Apple. I’ve got four antique varieties of apple to share with you this week, but not a lot of information. With the exception of Golden Russet, I seem to have chosen three less well known apples: Rosemary Russet, Red Cortland, and Westfield Seek No Further.
Here’s what I was able to learn about each of them:
Golden Russet
Rosemary Russet
Red Cortland
Westfield Seek No Further
Golden Russet
The history of this apple is a bit hazy. Apparently, it was grown in New York state as early as 1845 and perhaps before. It is considered one of the best cider apples, however. The flavor was described to me as honeyed. Like the other russets I’ve tasted this year, the flesh is sweet, and this one has a distinctive flavor. Would I describe it as reminiscent of honey? I don’t know. I liked it, but I didn’t love it. I don’t particularly like sweet apples for eating out of hand, though. The golden russets I brought home were beautiful apples — small, perfectly shaped, very round, very gold. Even more than the Sweet Russets I tested last time, they looked like Christmas tree ornaments.
Rosemary Russet
This apple has been around since the 1830s, but I was unable to find anything out about its origins other than that. Rosemary Russets are big apples, irregularly shaped, and bumpy. Like the Golden Russets, they are sweet raw and a bit soft.
Red Cortland
Cortland apples were introduced in 1900, and are the child of the well-known McIntosh apple. I couldn’t quite figure out if “Red” Cortlands are a distinct variety from Cortlands. These Red Cortlands are a much darker red than the Cortlands I bring home from the grocery store, however. Their flesh is a beautiful clear white that browns very slowly. I suspect they’d make a great salad apple.
Westfield Seek No Further
This comically named apple comes from Westfield, Massachusetts and dates to 1796. The fruit is pale red, pretty, and on the small side. Seek No Further is an excellent dessert apple — very crisp and tangy. The flesh is a pale yellow. Even if it doesn’t bake up well, I will pick this one up next year!
The Results
Since I was feeling a little bit lazy, I peeled, cored and sliced just one apple of each variety and dropped the slices into a custard dish. I topped each dish with flour, sugar, butter and a touch of cinnamon, then baked for 40 minutes at 350 degrees F. My four tasters placed the apples as follows:
| Red Cortland | Rosemary Russet | Golden Russet | Seek No Further | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taster 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Taster 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Taster 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Taster 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
As you can see, the results were far from unanimous. Tallying up, Rosemary Russet came in first place, followed by Red Cortland. Golden Russet and Westfield Seek No Further tied for last place. I must confess I was surprised by the results. I expected the tangy Seek No Further to do much better and never anticipated that the lumpy Rosemary Russet would carry the day. Although the tangy flavor of Seek No Further raw did remain when it was baked, one of our tasters adamantly disliked the flavor. Our fourth taster found Rosemary Russet, Golden Russet and Red Cortland bland, while two of us really liked the flavor of the Rosemary Russets. I have enough Rosemary Russets left in my apple bag to try something else with them. I’m looking forward to see how they’ll do in pie or pancakes. I’ll keep you posted.
Thanks for joining me once again. If you have a favorite antique or heirloom apple variety, please let me know! Comments are always welcome.
