The Macoun apple is a sweet and slightly tart hybrid of McIntosh and Jersey varieties. It is small to medium-sized, with a dark red and green skin and juicy white flesh. It ripens later than other apples and is great for eating fresh, baking, or mixing. Although it has drawbacks, it is a favorite in the northeastern United States and is commonly found along roadsides.
The Macoun apple is a hybrid resulting from a cross between the black McIntosh and Jersey varieties. It is a small to medium sized apple, dark red with a purplish hue against a green background. The white flesh is crunchy and moist, with plenty of juice in every bite. It ripens later than other apple varieties and should be used later this year. There are some drawbacks to growing this type of apple, but the results are well worth it for farmers. The Macoun is an all-purpose apple, which means it’s great for eating fresh, baking, mixing, or anything else you can do with an apple.
Introduced in the first half of the 1900s, the Macoun apple was developed at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station in Geneva, New York as an alternative to the McIntosh. The McIntosh was crossed with the Black Jersey and the new apple variety was named after the Canadian fruit grower WT Macoun. This hybrid apple produces a very sweet yet slightly tart taste with a hint of berries, a perfect dessert apple.
In the United States, Macoun apples ripen and are ready for harvest in October and November, later in the year than other types of apples. Their harvest season is also shorter than that of other apple varieties. They do best in a colder environment, making Macoun apples a favorite in the northeastern United States
One of the disadvantages of growing Macoun apples is that they tend to fall off the tree easily and get bruised because their short stem is not always able to hold large, heavy fruit. The other downside to growing a Macoun apple orchard is that the crops are unreliable, with strong crops one year and poor ones the next. The demand for the Macoun apple variety is the reason farmers continue to grow them despite the difficulties.
Macoun apples are the most common type of roadside apple in New England. This extra sweet apple is especially good for eating raw, but it’s also an all-purpose fruit. Macouns are well cooked or minced for pie filling, sliced and added to salads or blended into sauces. It can be served with a wedge of cheese for a healthy fall dessert or a glass of wine for a more mature snack.
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