How 'bout them (new) apples?
Cornell has introduced two new apple varieties that are now growing around New York State and will eventually be popping up in stores:
SnapDragon: "[G]ets its juicy crispness from its Honeycrisp parent, and it has a spicy-sweet flavor." It's said to have a long shelf life. (The apples on the right are SnapDragons.)
RubyFrost: A later-ripening variety with "a beautiful skin and a nice sugar-acid balance" with a "crisp juiciness." Comparable to an Empire or Granny Smith.
The apples are available this summer, but there aren't that many being grown currently. Cornell says they should be showing up in stores in 2015.
Update: A Cornell spokesman says at least one orchard in this area is slated to have them at their farm stand this fall: Bowman Orchards in Rexford.
This bit about the apples' development, from a press release, caught our eye:
The two varieties have been a decade in the making, and how they've gone to market is a first for the Cornell apple-breeding program and the New York apple industry. Historically, public universities developed new apple breeds and released them to the industry freely. But in 1980, the Bayh-Dole Act gave universities the right to retain the intellectual property rights for their research, with limited plant-based royalties.
In May 2010, Cornell forged a partnership for a "managed release" with [New York Apple Growers], a new industry group, to establish an exclusive licensing agreement in North America for the two apple varieties. Growers pay royalties on trees purchased, acreage planted and fruit produced, and the income is used to market the new varieties and support Cornell's apple-breeding program.
Cornell has released 66 apple varieties since the 1890s, according to the press release, including the Cortland, Macoun, Empire and Jonagold.
Earlier on AOA: Lost and found apples
photo: Kevin Maloney / Cornell
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Comments
Any idea if any of our local orchards are growing these? Peter Ten Eyck (Indian Ladder) has always been forward thinking in experimenting with new varieties.
That SnapDragon apple is stunning, almost like a story book apple. Or something from the Garden of Eden.
... said chrisck on Aug 7, 2013 at 4:02 PM | link
@chrisck: I checked with Cornell, and spokesman said Bowman Orchards is set to have them this fall at their farm stand. There might be a few others in the area -- I'm waiting to hear from the apple growers group.
And I was also struck by the appearances of the apples -- I hope their flavor tracks with how they look.
... said Greg on Aug 8, 2013 at 10:40 AM | link
Of course a "food stylist" might have made those apples look particularly photogenic.
... said chrisck on Aug 8, 2013 at 11:00 AM | link
T.U. article this morning says Indian Ladder is growing SnapDragons that will be available next year.
http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/Branching-out-at-the-orchard-4806063.php
... said chrisck on Sep 12, 2013 at 9:08 AM | link
I saw somewhere that Samascott has them as well. I picked up some Snapdragons from Bowman's today -- they're really, REALLY good.
... said KB @ Home-Baked Happiness on Oct 12, 2013 at 9:18 PM | link