That’s right! Apple season has BEGUN! We have started to pick the McIntosh! Here’s a little background on these fabulous, classic apple!

This is taken directly from the Wisconsin Apple Grower Association Cookbook.

Nothing announces the arrival of fall more clearly than the scent of a freshly baked apple pie. And what better apple to choose than the McIntosh?

The McIntosh remains the most popular apple in the Eastern United States.

Characterized by a perfect balance of crispness, tartness and sweetness, the McIntosh is also one of the oldest apples. Today more than 3,000,000 McIntosh apple trees flourish throughout North America, [we have about 350 trees growing at our Kroncke Road Orchard] all stemming from a single tree discovered by John McIntosh in undergrowth on a farm in Dundas County, Ontario, in 1811.

The survival of the variety and its ultimate popularity almost 200 years after its chance discovery was the long-time effort of several generations of the McIntosh family.

When fire swept through the McIntosh farm in 1895, John’s son, Allen, managed to nurse back to health the badly singed original tree that was still producing apples. In fact, the tree outlived him. Allen died in 1899, but the tree continued to bear fruit until 1906.

McIntosh apples are medium-sized oblate fruits that are red on a green background. There are many strains available with many color variations from red-striped strains to full red-brown blushed strains.

The flesh is white, soft and fine-textured. The flavor is distinctly tangy and aromatic. This variety is excellent for eating fresh, sauces, salads and pies, and is available in Wisconsin during the month of September, with storage capability through early spring.