It is that time of year when we truly appreciate growing, selling, and more importantly eating locally produced food. Tomatoes are always more delicious than we remembered and cucumbers are a cool and refreshing contrast to the heat of late July. In contrast eggplant, zucchini, new potatoes, and beets give us comfort and satisfaction. We take delight in the sweet and sprightly early apple as we eat our first Pristine apple. Not far behind we start enjoying Redfree and Dandee Red apples which provide a hint of the beloved fall Jonathan and McIntosh, while still reigning over summer with their straighforward flavor.
Pristine apples are an apple that always initially knocks us off our feet with its juiciness. It requires much care in harvest and packing to prevent bruising and of course it has a tendency to drop off the tree at a concerning rate making us cringe whenever there is a breezy day on the farm. However this extra care is rewarded with an apple that packs a powerful sweet tart punch.
Redfree apple is preview of the future fall Jonathan apple and the name references it’s red color and somewhat disease resistance. A much better name for this apple is early-Jon because it truly is a crunchy tart apple with a hint of sweetness.
Dandee Red is such a great early apple with its firm dense texture and tart flavor. We often compare the flavor of the Dandee Red to a McIntosh but without the snap – this description grossly underestimates how wonderful this apple is on the tastebuds. The firm dense finely grained texture has a creaminess missing from the fall McIntosh.