Flavor: Somewhat tart, with a pine-like aroma
Approximate Ripening: Early-mid October
Uses: Eating, cooking, juicing, hard cider
Trivia: Newtown Pippin was discovered on the Gershom Moore estate in the village of Newtown on Long Island, NY. (Newtown is now known as Elmhurst, and the Moore estate stood in the vicinity of what is now Broadway and 45th Ave.) Col. Thomas Walker brought the apple to the Piedmont region. It eventually became associated with Virginia, where it acquired the alternate name Albemarie Pippin (after Albemarie County, VA). It remains Virginia’s most famous apple. Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both grew Newtown Pippin, with Jefferson noting from Paris that “they have no apples here to compare with our Newtown Pippin.” In 1838, American minister to Great Britain Andrew Stevenson presented Queen Victoria with a basket of Newtown Pippin. The Queen loved them so much that the British Parliament lifted import duties on the variety, and it remained a major export to England until duties were reinstated post-World War II.
Notes: Like many of the old American favorites, Newtown Pippin is an outstanding keeper. The taste improves with age; as the initially hard apple softens, it gains complexity of flavor in the form of a piney aroma that mixes well with the apple’s natural tartness. This combination makes it perfect for cooking or eating out of hand.