Apples in Ontario (October 2020 - February 2021)

Overview

I have to admit that I was inspired by the Longo's flyer describing different types of seasonal Ontario and Canadian apples. I never really thought too much about apples or Ontario specific produce to be exact, but with the COVID-19 lockdown, I realized that our food and necessity supply chain is actually pretty vulnerable since we import so many things. However, we can contribute back to the local economy in Ontario by buying local produce and what better way to start than to try the seasonal varieties of apples in Ontario? For reference, I also ranked the apples compared to other apples of the day with the one I liked the best as #1. (I also compare a lot to red delicious since that's the apple I eat the most).

Here's a quick overview of the apples highlighted in Longo's flyer (and I bought the majority of my apples there since they had all the varieties mentioned or if I found it on sale somewhere else, I went to other stores such as Walmart, No Frills, Loblaws or Metro depending where the apples were): 

• Red Delicious: Sweet, juicy and crisp flavour (not for baking or cooking)
• McIntosh: Sweet and tangy, tart flavour with white juicy flesh (originated from Ontario - very cool!)
• Cortland: Sweet-tart and crisp soft apple with crisp white flesh - cross between Ben David and McIntosh
• Gala: Sweet, juicy and crisp as it is a cross between Golden Delicious and Kidd's Orange Red with a sweet vanilla like flavour and floral aroma
• Empire: Sweet and slightly tart with a juicy balanced flavour - cross between McIntosh and Red Delicious. 

Found at No Frills: 

For more information on other apples: http://onapples.com/ontario-apple-varieties: 

• Ambrosia: B.C. apple with pink blush over yellow and has a crisp, juicy and distict aroma and sweet low acid flavour.
• Crispin: Cross between golden delicious and Japanese Indo with a large size and tart to sweet taste and firm texture. 
• Fuji: Cross between Delicious and Ralls Janet with firm texture and greenish pink in colour with white flesh
• Golden Delicious: Firm and Juicy originated from West Virginia
• Honeycrisp: Cross between Macoun and Honeygold with distinctive crisp texture, aromatic, juicy and slightly acidic and sweet taste with cream coloured flesh. 
• Idared: Cross between Jonathan and Wagener that is tart and keeps it's flavour when oven baked.
• Jonagold: cross between Golden Delicious and Jonathan - large and round shape with orange-red over green-yellow colour and firm slightly coarse texture
• Northern Spy: Bright red stripes and elongated shaped large apple that is crisp and firm
• Red Prince: Cross between Golden Delicious and Jonathan with tangy, sweet flavour and crisp and juicy texture
• Russet: Sweet and Tangy
• Spartan: Cross between McIntosh and Newtown originated in B.C. 

Feb 12, 2021

Left to Right: Red Prince and Pazazz apples

The pazazz apple was juicy, crispy with a refreshing taste that was a tad sour, but also a bit sweet. 

The red prince had a firm subtle flavour and it had a sweet aftertaste. 

I still wasn't a big fan of either of these apples. 

Smitten apple and Pinata apple

Smitten was very sweet with an almost sugary flavour and was really good for people who have a sweet tooth. 

In contrast, the pinata apple wasn't as sweet, but it wasn't quite sour either. It was more of a middle of the road apple, but after eating the smitten - this apple was almost bland.

January 9, 2021

The gala and fuji apples are definitely some of my favourite apples. 

Not pictured is the cosmic crisp apple that I tried, it was crispy with a pear-like texture and juicy and it also had a bit of an asian pear flavour but it wasn't as sweet. It was a bit sour but rather refreshing.

Also, I tried the snowflake apple which was pulpy, but had a clean crisp taste.

Dec 9, 2020

Clockwise from Left: Russet, US Gala, Honeycrisp (Ontario)

Russet: It really suits its name since it actually reminded me of a russet potato and the similarities weren't just in the external colour, it was also soft and crunchy with a starchy or fibery texture. It had an okay apple flavour, but clearly I was more focused on how it resembled one of my favourite types of potato. RANK: 3

Gala: Definitely sweeter than russet (and a consistently good apple). RANK: 1

Honeycrisp: Very crunchy apple (like its name), big apple and okay taste. RANK: 2

Dec 8, 2020

Northern Spy and Granny Smith (Green)

Northern Spy: I thought this would be better since the colours weren't as red, but I still wasn't a fan. 

Granny Smith: Not really sweet or too sour - but definitely tart. I don't think I like green apples.

Nov 26, 2020

Clockwise from top left: Jazz, Lady Alice (USA) Ambrosia (Ontario)

Lady Alice: fragrant and perfume-like with a strong floral flavour. RANK: 2.

Ambrosia: really sweet and yummy, the flavour wasn't as strong as Lady Alice. RANK: 1

Jazz: Not too sour but not too sweet either, it had a bit of a tangy taste to it and a decent apple flavour. RANK: 3. 

Nov 19, 2020

Pink Lady and Lucy Rose (pink apple theme)

This was super interesting: the sign for the Lucy Rose at Longo's did mention that the flesh inside was red, so it was kinda cool when we cut it into slices. 

Pink Lady: More tart and sour than the Lucy Rose apple - it was almost tangy with a citrus aftertaste and pretty pulpy. RANK: 2.

Lucy Rose: red inside and outside, really sweet apple (5 for sweetness) and gave off candy apple feeling and taste. It had the apple flavour but it was a little disorienting to eat red apple slices. $3.99/lb (super expensive) and RANK; 1

Nov 18, 2020

Left to Right: Fuji, USA Gala, USA Rave

Fuji: Very sweet about a level 5 sweetness. RANK: 1

Gala: Sweet and good apple flavour with a 4 level sweetness. RANK: 2

Rave: Super crispy like an Asian pear, but really sour like level 2. RANK: 3

Nov 13, 2020

Left to Right: Jazz, Crispin, Sweet Tango

Jazz (New Zealand): Crisp and refreshing like the Envy apple, but not a lot of apple flavour. It was sweetest of the batch of 3 and RANK: 1. 

Crispin: Green apples usually mean sour and sure enough, it was tart and almost sour (about a 3). Good apple flavour, but a tad mushy compared to the rest. RANK: 3. 

Sweet Tango (Canada): Similar to a pear, but more sour than Jazz apple, also not a lot of apple flavour but very crispy apple. 

Nov 2, 2020

China Fuji Apple (forgot to take a picture): No taste, but it had the apple crispy texture. It wasn't really sweet or sour. Not sure I would get it again until they figure out the right flavour. 

Oct 29, 2020

 

Clockwise from top left: Fuji, Envy, Ambrosia

Fuji (USA but it says Chilean haha): More apple flavour and also sweet (about a 3) and a tiny hint of tartness compared to other apples, but it had a sweet aftertaste. RANK: 2.

Envy: More crunchy than other apples with a floral sweet note (about a 5 sweetness), but no real apple flavour at all. RANK: 3. 

Ambrosia: Sweetness about 4 with a crisp honey and floral flavour, but not really apple flavour and a tiny hint of sourness. RANK: 1. 

All different apples, but all sweet (these are probably the ones I like the best out of the ones I've tried before since it suits my sweet tooth)

Red Pear

Very interesting to see this at the supermarket. It had a grainy texture similar to Bosc pears (which are my ultimate favourite pears). However, the taste wasn't similar to a bosc pear.

Oct 26, 2020

 

Left to Right: Gala, Northern Spy and Red Delicious (cut in order too)

Gala: Sweetness level 3 (5 being sweetest) with a floral flavour and crunchy texture. I liked this one more than red delicious. $1.25/lb at Freshco and RANK: 1.

Northern Spy: Tart and crisp and not too sweet, tartness level is about a 3 (with 1 being super tart) and a bit sour. $1.99/lb at Longo's and RANK: 3. 

Red Delicious: Sweet and a tad mushy with a 3 sweetness level. $1.99/lb at Longo's and RANK: 2. 

Oct 25, 2020

Left to Right: Cortland, Honeycrisp, Envy

Cortland: Soft baking apple (it makes sense now why people don't usually eat it fresh). It's sweet and mushy with a sweetness level of about 3.5 (1 being not sweet and 5 being sweetest) RANK: 3.

Honeycrisp: Sour and honey sweet crispy apple. Sweetness level is about 3 and sourness around 4 (if most sour apple is 1) and it had more of an apple flavour. $1.99/lb at Freshco and RANK: 2.

Envy: Sweetness is 5, not as much apple flavour but a nice clean and crisp taste. RANK: 1. 

October 24, 2020

Left to Right: Empire, Ambrosia and Spartan

Cut similar to above

Empire: Sour and tart (#2 in sourness amongst the three). It had an apple taste, but it wasn't as sour as a McIntosh. RANK: 2 

Ambrosia: Sweet and not sour at all. In terms of sweetness between a scale of 1-5 with 5 being sweetest, I think it would be a 4. Good crispy apple from Walmart. RANK: 1

Spartan: The taste wasn't too strong at first bite and you could taste the sourness, it did have a lingering apple aftertaste. It was crunchy, but for sourness if 1 is the most sour and 5 is not sour, I think it'd be a 4. The flesh was a little green. $1.25/lb at Freshco and RANK: 3. 

Raspberries!

I thought I'd compare the brands and see which one is better - Driscoll's for sure since they were super sweet and big raspberries and not too tart. I would get these again!

October 22, 2020

Top to bottom: Ambrosia, USA Fuji, Cortland (cut in order clockwise)

Ambrosia: Yellow flesh with a crunchy sweet taste and a little pulp at the end that was hard to chew through. $1.97/lb at Walmart and RANK: 2

USA Fuji: I think fuji's are between China and USA when I've seen them at grocery stores. The US version had a yellow flesh that was crisp (and yet soft?) and refereshing. It also had a distinctive Fuji apple flavour that wasn't super strong - almost like a clean flavour. $1.97/lb at Walmart and RANK: 1.

Cortland: White flesh and mushier than the rest, sweet and soft with a tart aftertaste. $1.27/lb at Walmart and RANK: 3. 

October 21, 2020

Left to Right: Golden Delicious, Envy, Ambrosia Gold (and Ambrosia Gold cut in middle)

Golden Delicious: Thin skin and not super crisp with white flesh - the texture reminded me of a red delicious: a little mushy and not super crisp. RANK: 3

Envy: Crisp/crunchy and sweet with a nice pear-like pleasant flavour (I love pears) - it was refreshing. RANK: 2

Ambrosia Gold: More yellow flesh and not super crisp (less than the Golden). However, it had a nice bite feel and there was lots of juice. It had a pleasant aroma and a sweet and fragrant honey flavour. RANK: 1

(I also enjoyed all the yellow apples today more than the ones yesterday)

Campbell Grapes

I've been seeing these for a while and decided to buy a bunch to try. Very jelly like texture to the grapes - I didn't like the plentiful seeds inside and the skin was also really sour. I can conclude these are not to my taste. 

Oct 20, 2020

Left to Right (excluding yellow apples): Organic Gala, Pink Lady and Paula Red

Organic Gala: Sweet with light sourness. It tasted like a red delicious with a bit of a pear flavour - an enjoyable flavour for me. RANK: 2. 

Paula Red: White flesh and mushy with a sour tangy taste like unsweetened apple cider. RANK: 3. 

Pink Lady: Yellow flesh that was crispy and sweet with a pleasant taste - it strangely wasn't very apple-like and was a little bit pulpy. RANK: 1. 

Oct 19, 2020

Clockwise from top left: Rave, Cortland and Honeycrisp

Same order as above

Rave (from US): Sweet crisp flavour similar to apple sauce or apple juice and a crunchy texture. It wasn't sour, but it really did remind me of apple sauce and had the yellow flesh to look like it too. $1.49/lb and RANK: 2. 

Cortland: White flesh and mushier than the other apples, but it was sweet similar to red delicious, but it had more of an apple and floral aroma. I didn't really taste the tartness, so maybe I got a riper apple. $1.49/lb and RANK: 1.

Honeycrisp: It lives up to its name since it was really crisp to peel like a pear and it was sweet, but a little tangy with a nice bite/crunch/crisp but sour. It also had a honey aftertaste and yellow flesh. $1.99/lb at No Frills and RANK: 3.

October 18, 2020

Clockwise from top left: Paula Red, McIntosh, Empire (and cut the same way too) - all Ontario apples this time!

Paula Red: Mushy and sweet (the core was slightly rotten which may have influenced the taste/texture/impression of this apple). It had a solid apple fragrance and taste and wasn't sour. $1.49/lb and RANK: 1 of 3. 

McIntosh: super distinct sour and tart flavour - you know when you've eaten a McIntosh apple for sure. It's crunchy and also has a sour aftertaste. $1.49/lb and RANK: 3 of 3.

Empire: Crispy apple with a floral taste and a little on the tart side and slight sourness compared to a red delicious apple. It was similar to red delicious but not as sweet (make sense since it's a cross between a McIntosh and red delicious). $1.49/lb and RANK: 2 of 3. 

October 17, 2020

Clockwise from top left: USA Gala, Envy and Ontario Gala

Envy (from New Zealand): It's definitely amazing how apples from New Zealand can make their way into our local grocery stores! The apple had a crisp, clean refreshing texture that was similar to a pear and it was juicy without being too dense. I personally loved the taste since it was very sweet with a honey like flavour. It was $2.99/lb so definitely on the pricier side. RANK: 1 of 3

Ontario Gala: It was crunchy almost like the McIntosh's tart and sour flavour and was particularly dense. $1.49/lb at Longo's and RANK: 3 of 3.

USA Gala: Surprisingly, it was a much sweeter apple and not as sour or tart as the Ontario version. It was also lighter and more similar to the red delicious apple with a crisp and soft texture. $1.79/lb and RANK: 2 of 3.