Presently we have more than 7,500 different types of apples, thanks to the long history of apple farming across the world. Commercial production pressures reduce the scope of what kinds can be effectively produced for big markets - size conformity, taste, storage life, etc.
Rarer, exceptional apple cultivars, however, are preserved and celebrated for their unique taste, history, recovery from near extinction, or potential to become the Next Big Apple.
List of Rare Varieties of Apple Across The Globe
Api-Etoile
This apple's ovaries give it a star-like shape and give it rounded tips. The Api Etoile was first cultivated in Switzerland in the 1600s, and it is still farmed today in a few specialized orchards.
Red Juice Subtypes (Cranberry and Otterson)
The red-fleshed apple breeding initiative at Michigan State University was started more than ten years ago with the intention of giving commercial growers dependable choices for hard cider manufacturers. Out of 120 red-fleshed varieties from apple collections across the world, 12 were chosen by horticulture professor Steve van Nocker, who founded the initiative. Due to their bitterness, sugar content, and acidity, the Otterson and Cranberry cultivars were found to be the most suitable for hard cider manufacturers.
Catshed
One of the oldest cultivars currently grown in the area is the Catshead apple, an English heritage breed. The Catshed is honored during apple festivals in England as one way to ensure there is a market for it. It is best suited for cooking than consuming its sour flesh uncooked. One of the first European types of apples introduced to America was the Catshead variety, which rose to prominence in the Virginia region up until the 20th century.
Grimes Golden
The Golden Delicious apple that is widely accessible now is said to have its ancestry in the USA during the 19th century when Grimes Golden apples first appeared. When compared to Golden Delicious, it differs in taste by having a sweeter, hotter flavor and a lengthy stalk that stays attached after plucking. The Grimes Golden cultivar is self-fertile.
Breedon Pippin
This cider-friendly cultivar was developed by Reverend Dr. Symonds Breedon in the UK around the turn of the 19th century. The Breedon Pippin is a little, squat variety with a strong, winy taste. Despite being a great alternative for making cider, it is now only found in specialist orchards.
Black Oxford
Black Oxford apple trees are a lovely attractive choice since they bloom in the spring with pale pink blooms. However, the rich, dark purple berry of this Maine variety makes it an all-purpose variety as well. This cultivar originated from a sapling that Nathaniel Haskell discovered somewhere in about 1790. In central and southern Maine, several trees that were planted not long after the originals are still standing.
Pink Pearl
Outside, it's yellow-green and pink inside. Breeding of the Pink Pearl, one of the numerous red-fleshed variants, began in California in 1944. Numerous more pink and red interior varieties were also created by the same horticulturist who created the Pink Pearl. The majority are already extinct, but a few West Coast orchards still have this one in late summer.
Knobbed Russet
Although the Knobbed Russet isn't especially renowned for its immaculate appearance, it does have its sweetness and good storage tolerance to recommend it. This cultivar, which has a bumpy surface and solid, thick meat, was found in Sussex, England, in the early 1800s.
Beauty of Bath
The abundance of fruit and early maturity of Beauty of Bath apples make them a perennial choice for gardening. Despite the fact that this variety has high disease resistance, there is a little economic market for them since improvements in cold storage have made late-season harvests, which are more tolerant of handling, more widely available. Southern England is home to the beauty of Bath.
