When Are Apples Usually in Season? Common Varieties and Their Warming/Cooling Properties

Apple is a plant of the genus Malus in the subfamily Maloideae of the family Rosaceae. Apple fruit is rich in minerals and vitamins and is one of the fruits people eat most often. So when is it usually in season? What varieties are there? Is it a cooling or warming food? It is understood that apples are a neutral-natured fruit. Neutral-natured foods are mostly general nutritional and health-promoting items, such as rice, noodles, soybeans, sweet potato, radish, apple, milk and so on.

What varieties of apples are there?

1. Red Fuji, characterized by its very large size, all-over red color and very round shape, with an average size about that of a baseball. Of the fruit's weight, 9-11% is monosaccharides, and its flesh is dense, sweeter and crisper than many other apple varieties, which is why it is widely loved by consumers around the world. Compared with other apples, Fuji apples have a longer optimal eating period and do not even need to be stored in the refrigerator. They can be kept at room temperature for 4 months, and if placed in the refrigerator, Fuji apples can be kept for 5 to 7 months.

2. Gala, the fruit is nearly round or conical, medium to large in size, with an average single fruit weight of 180 g. The skin is red with dark red stripes; the flesh is creamy yellow, crisp and tender, with moderate juice, a mild sweet-and-sour taste and top quality. It generally matures in early to mid-August and can be stored for 25-30 d.

3. Sansa, also known as Sansha, was introduced from Japan in 1989. This variety has an upright tree posture, weak central leader, many short fruit branches, early bearing and high yield, and a high fruit-setting rate. It matures in late August; the fruit is conical or oblate, with a single fruit weight of about 230 g; the ground color is yellow-green, the sun-facing side is deep pink-red, and the shaded side is pink-red; the fruit surface has a relatively thick waxy layer, and the skin is thin and attractive; the flesh is yellowish-white, crisp and refreshing, sweet and juicy, with the aroma of flowering crabapple fruit, and a soluble solids content of about 13-15%. It stores relatively well and is a mid-early maturing variety with great development potential.

4. A Japanese variety, introduced in 1996 by the Weihai Agricultural Science Center from Nakajima Tenkoen in Japan. It has a rich sweet-and-sour flavor and excellent quality. It matures in mid-September, more than 30 days earlier than Fuji; it stores well and does not easily become mealy, and can be kept in natural storage until the Spring Festival.

5. Tsugaru, the fruit is relatively large and uniform, oblate to nearly round; it matures in September, with a fruit development period of 115 days, maturing before Golden Delicious.

6. Golden Delicious, an American variety, also known as Jinshuai or Yellow Banana. The fruit is large, generally with a single fruit weight of more than 200 g, and matures in mid to late September.

7. Red Star (Snake Apple), native to the United States, also known as Red Delicious, is a heavily striped red bud sport of Red Banana (Delicious) and is one of the main cultivated varieties in the world. It matures in mid-September and stores relatively well; after harvest, 1-2 months of storage gives the best eating period.

8. Jonathan, an American variety, the fruit is nearly round or oblate, and the fruit matures in early to mid-October. If harvested slightly late, cracks easily occur at the stem cavity, the fruit surface easily “sweats sugar”, and during storage it easily secretes waxy substances.

9. Granny Smith, an Australian variety and a world-famous green variety. It stores very well, generally able to be stored until April to May of the following year, and after storage its flavor is even better. The fruit development period is about 170 days, and it matures in mid to late October.

When are apples usually in season?

Apples are available on the market all year round, with large-scale market availability in May each year.

Apples have a mild nature and flavor and are rich in carbohydrates, vitamins and trace elements, including sugars, organic acids, pectin, protein, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C and dietary fiber, as well as malic acid, tartaric acid and carotene, making them the fruit or vegetable whose nutritional value is closest to perfect.