Empire Apples ready for market at the Beak & Skiff Apple Farm near LaFayette, New York.
Nikon D700/28-300VR, 1/60s, f/13, ISO 200, EV +0.3, 28mm focal length.
The Empire apple was developed by Cornell University scientists in 1966 at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva as a cross between Red Delicious and McIntosh. Empire apples have a sweet-tart taste that is ideal for eating and salads but also great for sauce, baking, pies and freezing. Stored correctly, they have a crunchy texture people love.
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I wish my computer had smell-o-vision or a scratch and sniff screen … yummmm.
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Oh, wouldn’t that be something! The smells in the orchards were “filling”. As were the apple fritters I enjoyed.
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One more reason this is my favorite time of year.
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How did the Michigan orchards fair this year, Gerry? New York’s cherry crop was completely wiped out.
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We had no commercial tart cherry crop in this part of the state, just a very modest quantity (though excellent quality) of dark sweets and balatons for the local fresh market. Hardly any peaches, no apricots, very few pears. Thank goodness the blueberries and raspberries came through – and the apples are lovely. I have four kinds right now. I might even make some applesauce. I hope next year is much, much better for all of us.
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Amen to that. Let’s hope the weather returns to a more normal pattern this winter. These wild swings from one year to the next the last few years have caused all kinds of havoc for farmers and wildlife alike.
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Can’t you send some boxes of these lovely apples over here??
Something has gone very wrong for my apple trees, so that the harvest is extremely low.
Denmark usually have a large apple production, I hope that it is not equally poor this year….
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I would love to but I am betting your apple crop will come through for you. Sorry your personal orchard. Did you have cold weather after they flowered this year, too?
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To be honest – I do not remember about the weather after the flowering. But this is a plausible theory.
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I didn’t know that about empire apples – that’s the kind I usually buy in the “off season” because they do have a nice crunch. Right now my fav’s are the macouns – also a cross breed I believe between MacIntosh and cortlands. Unfortunately the macouns aren’t “keepers” – they don’t last very long past the autumn.
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The Cortlands tasted yummy in the Apple Crisp last week. Another apple treat called Apple Pudding is on the menu this week. Another favorite.
The Empires were made to last. No Macouns were in the orchard stores this year. They may have come early and were already gone. Will look for them next year!
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