Newtown Pippin

Newtown Pippin: Also called Albemarle Pippin or Yellow Newtown Pippin, this apple is said to have originated on Long Island, New York in 1666 as a seedling brought from England. According to Lee Calhoun in his book Old Southern Apples , it is “one of the truly great apples of the South, which grows to perfection in certain soils in Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia..... most notably in the upper Piedmont and mountains.” More so than other apples,  Newtown Pippin needs a loamy, friable soil to produce a high quality crop. In the late 1700’s and early 1800’s, this apple was highly prized and often exported to London where they brought premium prices. This apple was planted by both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson at their respective estates. Fruit is large, skin yellow with a pink blush, and the flesh is yellow, firm, crisp, juicy, and subacid. Fruit ripens in October, and it stores quite well, often improving in flavor upon storage.