WHEN DO YOU EAT a Yellow Transparent apple? The short answer: soon.
That’s because their season is short, and they do not store well. But Yellow Transparent provide a delicious, tangy start to the apple harvest, and if kept cold they will remain crisp for several weeks.
Always keep your apples refrigerated to preserve their best flavor and crispness!
One look at Yellow Transparent on the tree with sunlight piercing through it shows how this medium to small apple got its name.
Like other early heirlooms such as Red Astrachan, Yellow Transparent’s greatest popularity came during the days before refrigeration, when extending the season as long as possible was paramount. Its parentage is unknown, but it has Russian roots via Vermont, where it was introduced to America by Dr. T. H. Hoskins of Newport in 1870.
But Yellow Transparent is more than a novelty for anyone looking for early season apple flavor and crunch.
Next up will be some newer varieties with somewhat better storage capabilities, such as Jersey Mac, Lodi, and Pristine. While they don’t rival the fall apples when it comes to storage, if kept cold they, too, will remain crisp and flavorful for several weeks.
Check out our Apple finder at newenglandapples.org to find out who grows what, and as always, call ahead to see what’s available. There are more than 200 varieties to choose from!
