Although another rainy day accompanied the vendors at Lakeside Farmers Market in Greenwood Lake, orchard grower, Jim Kent of Locust Grove Orchard was excited about the first crop of Pink Lady apples that he released to curious consumers who were eager to taste a fruit with a satisfying combination of tart and sweet, with the apples displaying an initial sugary flavor at first and then followed by a delicious tartness as you follow with subsequent bites.
Pink Lady apples got their start in Australia, created by an orchard owner named John Cripps, who first grew the glamorous fruits at his Western Australia farm in the 1990s. Soon afterwards the cultivar was exported to Europe and the United States, traditionally strong markets for apples. A cultivar is a plant that has been propagated vegetatively (for example, via stem cuttings, tissue samples, or cuttings), instead of a seed. This method of propagation guarantees that subsequent offspring will retain the characteristics of the parents for only that one generation.
According to FruitStand.com, “Cripps spent years fighting for the rights to the name, since a number of cultivars had also been courting the title, albeit without the legal paperwork to back it up. Still, after a years-long battle, Cripps was able to claim the Pink Lady crown. He began shipping the cultivars out under the pretty name, and in no time, their charm won over millions of fans.”
The apple’s flavor profile is likely to have originated from its parents: the Australian Lady Williams varietal and the American classic Golden Delicious. “The marriage produces a refreshing combination of a sweet-tart apple; Pink Ladies have a high sugar and acid content that produces a crisp, clean finish,” said Kent. “And many Pink Lady growers contribute a portion of the proceeds to breast cancer research,” he added. Besides being a great apple for just snacking it’s a great companion for baked goods including crumbles, pies, and turnovers.
To learn more about the varieties of apples and pears now available this season, click on villageofGreenwoodLake.org/lakeside-farmers-market/ or stop by the Winstanley Park on Windermere Ave. in Greenwood Lake Saturdays, between 9AM and 1PM, through the end of this month.
