These are the second most popular apples at the orchard. They are in high demand because folks love using them for baking pies (if they like their apples to mush) and for smooth applesauce.
Approximate Ripening Date: September 1st
Flavor: I'm going to break the flavor of the McIntosh apples into two different categories:
Early, freshly picked McIntosh - The McIntosh are commonly thought of as a softer, sweeter apple. When they are first picked from the tree that is absolutely not true. When we're still picking them right off the tree and they haven't been in storage yet (most of September) they are crisp and vinously tart! They will make an amazing crunch when you first bite into them and surprise you with their classic, apple flavor.
Later, mellowed with Storage McIntosh - McIntosh apples later in the season - once we're done picking them fresh from the tree and we're pulling them out from cold storage will be much more mellow. This means they have sweeten up a bit and they are a much softer apple. These are my father-in-law Frank's favorite apple!
Baking: The McIntosh will mush when cooked. Jared loves a mushy pie and smooth sauce so McIntosh are his favorites for baking.
History: Snow Seedling from Ontario, Canada in 1798. It is an heirloom apple.
Featured Recipe:
This is the apple pie my mother-in-law makes every Thanksgiving and has ruined me towards all other apple pies. There is just no need to eat them if it's not a Pan-Apple Pie.
Pan-Apple Pie
by Diane Lapacek
Crust:
5 cups flour
4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups lard (works best if you can render your own or find someone who has real lard)
2 egg yolks
cold water
Filling:
5 lbs tart apples- pared, cored, sliced (Diane LOVES to use a mixture of different varieties of apples for baking)
4 tsp lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 T milk
Combine first 4 crust ingredients (dry). Cut in lard with pastry blender. Place egg yolks in measuring cup (1 cup) and stir with fork until smooth. Blend in enough cold water to make a scant cupful. Sprinkle gradually over dry ingredients. Toss with fork to make a soft dough - do not over mix! Roll out half the pastry and line a 15 x 10 inch jellyroll pan with it. Sprinkle lemon juice on apples and place in pastry lined-pan. Sprinkle remaining filling ingredients over the apples. Top with remaining pastry, seal edges, brush with milk and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Pierce with a fork to allow steam to escape. Bake at 400-degrees for about 50 minutes or until apples are tender. Mix glaze ingredients together and drizzle over pie.
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