Apple Picking on Long Island, NY
Today, there are over 500 varieties of apples and still more hybrids. Some of the more popular varieties include:
Baldwin Apple: Color: red-skinned usually mottled and streaked with yellow; Flavor: crisp texture, with a mildly tart yet sweet flavor; Availability: October-April from the New York Region.
Cortland Apple: Color: shiny smooth red skin that does not brown easily; Flavor: sweet-tart flesh with a crisp texture; Uses: great for cooking and biting into.
Crabapple: Color: usually a smaller apple with a rosey red color; Flavor: too sour for biting into; Uses: great for jams, jellies, pork and poultry cooking; Availability: September, October, November.
Criterion Apple: Color: bright red skin with greenish highlights; Flavor: is a bit tart; Uses: baking and hand eating.
Gala Apple: Color: bright rosy red skin; Flavor: juicy and sweet with a firm and crisp texture; Uses: great for biting into and for baking; Availability: September-June.
Golden Delicious Apple: Color: yellow or yellow-green; Flavor: crisp and juicy flesh which resists very well to browning; Uses: great for biting into but will loose some of its delicious flavor when cooked; Availability: September-June and store well in the refrigerator for 150 days.
Macoun Apple: Color: wine red; Flavor: sweet-tart crisp and juicy usually a smaller apple; Uses: best for hand eating but great for any purpose and is known to be an East coast favorite.
McIntosh Apple: Color: bright red skinned occasionally tinged with green mid-sized; Flavor: crisp and tart-sweet and medium sized; Uses: all purpose though it doesn’t hold well to lengthy cooking; Availability: September-March.
Red Delicious Apple: Color: brilliant red, streaked with green. This apple has a distinctive elongated shape with five distinctive knobs at its base; Flavor: sweet and juicy; Uses: hand eating is preferable as this apple does not cook well; Availability: September-April and will remain edible for 160 days when refrigerated.
Rhode Island Greening Apple: Color: green to yellow in color; Flavor: sweet-tart flavor; Uses: its natural flavor really intensifies with cooking and its texture remains essentially; unchanged with cooking. Although this apple is also great for hand eating; Availability: October-April and is found mainly in the eastern and central United States.
The expression "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" is an expression that was coined many years before physicians actually knew the real benefits that came with eating apples. Apples are full of antioxidants, as are pomegranates, tomatoes, and thankfully dark chocolate. Be sure to not peal your apples, as by peeling them you will loose the main source of the antioxidants in apples. With the winter season quickly approaching many are faced with the risk of catching air borne diseases such as colds, flu, and other viral infections; apples are also a great source of vitamin C, fiber, and potassium.
For more information please visit the related categories in our directory: Long Island Farms, Long Island Pumpkin Picking, Long Island Farmer Markets.

