Apple season at White Gables lasts from mid-to-late August, through end of October to early November. We currently have 17 varieties of apples, with 3 new varieties coming in 2020. Apple varieties below are listed in order of ripening.
Zestar {coming in 2021}
Zestar apples are medium to large in size and are round in shape, averaging seven centimeters in diameter. The yellow-green skin is smooth, shiny, and firm with contrasting orange and red striations, giving the fruit a rosy blush over the majority of the skin. There are also many small light tan lenticels or pores covering the surface. The cream-colored to white flesh is juicy and crisp, and there are a few small dark brown seeds encased in the central fibrous core. Zestar apples have a sweet-tart taste with notes of brown sugar.
Ginger Gold
Ginger Gold apples have a pale yellow skin with slight russeting on the surface. They are variable in size, but tend toward conical in shape, sometimes with ribs and long stalks. They have a crisp, cream-colored flesh with a sweet, mildly tart taste. The sweet apple also has a sharp flavor that provides a slight spiciness. The flesh has a fine texture and does not brown right away when cut, making for a nicer appearance in fruit salads and as a fresh-cut snack. Ginger Gold has been described as one of the best-tasting early-season apples.
Spartan
Spartan apples vary from bright red to dark purple red depending upon how long it is allowed to ripen on the tree. Its crisp white flesh is aromatic and exceptionally juicy with a balanced sweet-tart apple flavor. An excellent keeper, the Spartan apple becomes slightly sweeter in cold storage. Spartan apples are low in calories, high in water content and offer a fair amount of vitamins A, C and B. Spartan apples are also high in folic acid and the dietary fiber pectin, both of which help promote a healthy heart.
Gravenstein
Gravenstein Apples originated in the 17th century or earlier. In the United States, they are found mostly on the West Coast. Some have said that if the apple could be grown throughout the year, no other apple need by grown! The gravenstein variety at this old orchard has a tart flavor with juicy, finely grained, light yellow flesh and is an early season apple, picked ripe in August. Gravenstein Apples do not keep well, and are only available in season. These apples are most used as a cooking apples, especially for apple sauce and apple cider.
Gala
Gala apples are covered in a thin yellow to orange skin, highlighted with pink to red stripes that vary in hue dependent upon the apples maturity. Their dense flesh is creamy yellow and crisp, offering a mildly sweet flavor and flora aroma. Gala’s that are allowed to reach the peak of their sweetness on the tree will have a deeper red hue and a slightly sweeter flavor.A cross between Golden Delicious and Kidd’s Orange Red, the Gala apple is currently one of the most extensively grown apples in the world.
Cortland
Cortland apples are medium to large in size, and often rather flat in shape. They are bright red and covered with dark red streaks; often they are capped with a green blush. Their crisp, finely-grained white flesh is exceptionally juicy with a sharp, sweet-tart, vinous flavor. The Cortland apple is an older American variety of Malus domestica, one of the many offspring of McIntosh apples. It combines the sweet flavor of the McIntosh with the cold hardiness of its other parent, Ben Davis. Cortlands have long been one of the most commonly produced apples in New York, consistently ranking in the top ten in the state.
Macintosh
McIntosh apples are vivid red brushed with bright green, oftentimes speckled with white lenticels (spots). The amount of red or green on the skin of the McIntosh will vary depending on when it was harvested. Early season apples will have more green and later season will sometimes be almost all red. The flavor as well will vary, with the later season apples taking on a slightly sweeter taste than those picked earlier in the season. The McIntosh apples crisp flesh is exceptionally juicy and bright white in color. When first picked the flavor of the McIntosh apple has a strong sweet-tart taste with nuances of spice, this flavor will mellow slightly in cold storage.
Jonathan
The Jonathan apple is medium sized and covered in a thin red skin, blushed with yellow to green undertones. Fruit from trees that have limited sun exposure during the ripening process will often have vertical red striping and subtle lenticels (spots) on the skin. Trees that are exposed to more sun will take on a deeper red to purple hue. The fine textured flesh of the Jonathon apple is creamy yellow in color with a crisp bite and lots of juice. Its flavor is mildly sweet with a tart tang and subtle hints of spice.
Empire
Empire apples are bright red with faint white striations; its top is capped with a light green blush. It is a medium sized apple and round with a creamy white interior. Its crisp and juicy flesh has a flavor that is sweet like a Red Delicious and tart like a McIntosh. Empire apples can be roasted, baked or sautéed. Their crisp flesh and sweet tart flavor make them perfect for fresh preparations such as chicken salad and coleslaw. They pair well with pumpkin, pear, sharp cheeses and warm spices such as ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Idared
Idared apples grow on slightly small trees, which are nonetheless good fruit producers. The apples themselves are medium in size and generally round, with a layer bright red over a green-red background. The flesh is yellowish-green, although sometimes a faint pink tinge can be detected. They are both sweet and tart, juicy yet crisp and firm. The best fruits have a sprightly, aromatic, and refreshing flavor, although some may lack strong flavor. Idared apples are named after the state they were first developed—Idaho—and their rich, red color.
Jonagold
Jonagold apples have an under blush which varies in color from greenish yellow to rosy orange depending on the strain and the temperature the apples are grown in. The skin is also covered with red spotting and vertical striping. Large in size its flesh is crisp, juicy and creamy yellow in color. The Jonagold apple has a balanced blend of both its parents’ flavors offering the sweet-tart taste found in the Jonathan and the aromatic honey like scent of the Golden Delicious.
Golden Delicious
Golden Delicious apples are pale green to golden yellow in color and speckled with small lenticels (spots). They are small to medium in size, and tend to be conical or oblong in shape. Golden Delicious apples are firm, crisp, and white-fleshed. These apples have a balanced sweet-tart aromatic flavor, which has been described as honeyed. The flavor varies depending on where these apples are grown; in a cool climate, the amount of acid increases, actually creating a sweeter flavor. When grown in warmer areas, the acid content is lower, creating a milder flavor.
Braeburn
Braeburn apples are medium to large in size and are oval in shape. The thin, bi-colored skin has a yellow base and is covered with red to pink blush and red striping. The striping and blush will vary in degree of visibility depending on the climate in which the fruit has matured. Its firm flesh is pale yellow to gold and contains a few dark brown seeds in the center of the fibrous core. Braeburn apples are very crisp and juicy with a sweet flavor combined with subtle hints of spice, pear, nutmeg, and cinnamon.
Red Delicious {not your grocery store variety}
The classic shape and classic sweetness make the Red Delicious the most well known apple variety in the United States (and the easiest to identify). The Red Delicious from this old orchard are bright to deep red color, with a CRISP {… not mushy} white flesh that offers a sweet flavor. Red Delicious Apples are ripe and ready at White Gables of Green Bluff early to late Fall. Best used in fresh preparations, as their skin does not hold up well when cooked. However, their flavor pairs well with cinnamon, cheddar cheese, horseradish, chard, cherries, mustard and pecans.
Honeycrisp
Honeycrisp apples have a yellow background covered with a red to pink blush and speckled with small lenticels. Their creamy white flesh is exceptionally crisp and aromatic. A balanced content of sugar and acid gives Honeycrisp apples a pleasant sweet-tart flavor that varies in strength depending upon the maturity of the apple. Honeycrisp apples were originally believed to be a cross between a Macoun and Honeygold apple, however recent DNA testing suggests that this may not be true and that the Keepsake apple may actually be part of the parentage.
Cosmic Crisp {coming in 2020}
The highly anticipated Cosmic Crisp apple variety will be available at White Gables in 2020. Cosmic Crisp brand apples are a cross between Enterprise and Honeycrisp apples. The large, juicy apple has a crunchy crisp texture, and provides ample sweetness and tartness. The apple is also slow to brown and keeps its texture and flavor in storage for over a year. The apple variety is the latest edition of Washington State University’s world-class tree fruit breeding program.
Rome Beauty
Rome apples are medium to large in size and can be conical, round, to oblong in shape. The smooth, glossy, and thick skin has a yellow base and is almost completely covered in light red striping and deep red blush. There are also many white lenticels or pores covering the surface. The flesh is cream-colored to a pale white and is firm, crisp, and dense with many small dark brown to black seeds encased in the central fibrous core. Rome apples are crunchy and offer a mild, sweet, and tangy flavor with a slightly floral aroma.
Aztec Fuji {coming in 2020}
This sweet treat is definitely a dessert apple. Thin skinned, with a good, strong, firm Evans crunch, the “Fuji” delivers a spicy sweet flavor. Beautiful highlights set off the deep red color giving the Fuji its own unique look. Aztec Fuji is already very popular in the international trade because of its consistent red blush colouring and the sweet, juicy flavour for which Fujis are known.
Pink Lady
Pink Lady apples are elongated and have an asymmetrical shape. The skin is a vivid green covered in a pinkish blush which becomes a deeper shade of red where the apple was exposed to more sun. Pink Lady apples have a crunchy texture and a tart taste with a sweet finish. The white flesh is juicy and crisp, and offers a “fizz-like” burst of flavor. Pink Lady apples are grown under very specific conditions, using a very specific process. The characteristics of a Pink Lady apple are dependent on specific factors like the amount space between the trees in the orchards, the thinning of branches to allow for maximum sunshine, and the numbers of days the apples remain on the trees.
Granny Smith
Granny Smith apples have a bright green skin that is often speckled with faint white lenticels (spots). Medium to large in size and round in shape, they are a firm and juicy apple with thick skin. Their flesh is bright white and crisp in texture with a tart, acidic, yet subtly sweet flavor. Granny Smith apples grown in colder climates will often take on a yellow to pink blush. These apples are believed to be a relative of the French crab apple. Most apples are green when immature and then when ripe take on shades of red, pink and yellow. Granny Smith apples, however maintain their green hue both when immature and ripe.
Winesap
Winesap is a well-known American heirloom apple, and was a major commercial variety in Virginia during the 19th century. Winesap apples are dark red, round and medium sized; the skin of this apple is firm, and the flesh is crisp and exceptionally juicy with a creamy yellow hue. Winesap apples are highly aromatic with a balanced sweet-tart taste and get their name due to their distinctive spicy wine like flavor. Winesap apples can be kept in natural cold storage for a good 3 months or more. It can be eaten fresh but is primarily a culinary apple, also popular for juice/cider production.
Wagener
This is one of many fine apple varieties which originated in New York state and became very popular in the South, particularly in Virginia. In 1791, George Wheeler of Penn Yan, New York, planted apple seeds in his orchard which produced several fine trees. In 1796, Abraham Wagener purchased the orchard from which arose the tree that today bears his name. It is an apple that, according to Beach, is a variety of “superior excellence.” It is a very fine cooking apple and an excellent dessert apple as well. Fruit is medium to large with thin, smooth, glossy pinkish-red skin overlaying a background of pale yellow. The yellowish-white flesh is firm, fine-grained, and very juicy. Ripens in October.
Criterion
Criterion apples look similar to the Red Delicious variety in shape since it is tall and large, but is a different color. The skin is yellow with a pink or red blush over it, which covers a varying portion of the fruit. The white flesh is both crispy and juicy, with a mild tangy but not too tart flavor. The tree bears fruit vigorously, but biennially. Like other apples, criterion is a good eating and baking variety that comes from a chance seedling that originated in Washington State. Criterions have a mixed parentage of Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and Winter Banana.