Michigan Apple Varieties
Braeburn
These rich, spicy-flavored apples are very firm with a crisp bite. Ideal for pies and baking, they also have a good fresh-eating quality!
Cortland
A hint of tartness makes this a great baking variety, used frequently in desserts. A descendent of the McIntosh, this variety is a bit sweeter than its ancestor. Known for its white flesh and excellent flavor.
Empire
An excellent lunchbox apple or crunch snack! Sweet and tart at the same time. Use for fresh-cut slices, candy and caramel apples. Also used in baking. Texture remains very firm, a good storing apple. Popular in Great Britain.
EverCrisp®
A newer apple variety, EverCrisp® is sweet, juicy and firm. It stores well and is long-lasting. Packs a powerful crunch.
Fuji
New to Michigan’s apple line-up, Fuji is Japan’s favorite apple for good reason! Fantastic sweet and tart flavor, with a low acid content. An incredibly good keeper, Fuji stays crisp for weeks!
Gala
Talk about a great apple: Crisp snappy bite over a mellow sweetness. Michigan’s 3rd most popular apple for fresh eating or cooking. Looks great, smells sweet, eats like a dream!
Golden Delicious
A gingery-smooth, sweet taste treat lies under a thin skin. The most popular yellow apple, Goldens may be eaten fresh or cut up in salads. Professional’s choice for applesauce or cider, baking pies and other desserts.
Honeycrisp
This apple is hot! And mighty crisp. Combines unusual color and excellent sweet flavor with a great bite. Use it for fresh eating, fresh-cut slices or cut up in salads.
Ida Red
Suits your every use! Eat fresh or for cooking. Taste is both tangy and tart. Flesh is white, crisp and juicy. Favored for sauces, pies and desserts. Texture holds up well when baked.
Jonagold
Make sure you try this one! Superbly crisp and juicy with shades of tart and sweet in each apple. Usually large and aromatic. Highly ranked by apple connoisseurs. Popular in Europe, but better from Michigan’s cooler climate.
Jonathan
Both pretty and popular! Used for fresh eating and cooking. Juicy flavor has a spicy tang that blends well with other apples. Michigan’s cooler climate produces superb Jonathans. Discovered in Woodstock, New York!
McIntosh
Classic large, round apple for eating out of hand! Ultra-juicy white flesh, lightly tart flavor and excellent fresh apple aroma. A perky addition to salads. Excellent in applesauce and cider. Also used in pies.
Northern Spy
Intriguing name, yet this apple is a professional baker’s dream! An antique apple still popular because of tart, acidic properties that cook up well in applesauce, pie and other dishes. A hard apple that ripens late and stores well.
Paula Red
Don’t miss this late summer apple! Available only into October. Pleasingly tart flavor and good aroma. Great in back-to-school lunches, or early season baking. Discovered in Sparta, Michigan!
Red Delicious
America’s most popular apple, known for the “five little bumps” on the bottom. Best for fresh eating and snacks. Full-flavored sweet taste, yellowish flesh and crisp texture. Discovered over 100 years ago in Iowa.
Rome
A big, round apple right out of storybooks! Romes have mild, sweet flavor. Most popular for baking because it holds flavor and shape well. A Southern favorite, although discovered in Ohio.