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McIntosh
type: Culinary, Cider, Dessert, Juice, Pie, Sauce
synonyms: Gem, MacIntosh, McIntosh Red, Mac, Mack
identification: Medium size tending to large, round to round flat. Base skin colour is green but almost completely covered with a dark red blush when ripe. A thin bloom is often present. Small light coloured dots. The calyx is very small and closed, set in a shallow basin. The stem is short to long and slender, set in a medium deep and funnel-shaped cavity.
characteristics: Flesh is bright white stained red next to the skin, crisp, mildly tart, quite sweet and tasting somewhat of elderberry and spice. Tends to lose its tartness in storage, but becomes mealy with little or no tang after a couple of months.
uses: A fresh-eating apple, not well suited for cooking. Widely used for making juice and cider. The best flavour comes from apples that have ripened on the tree and are eaten soon thereafter. Look for Macs with the stem still attached since they lose their stem when over ripe. Also, a dull skin indicates that the apple has been in storage for a long time.
origins: Discovered as a chance seedling by John McIntosh, a United Empire Loyalist. He fled from New York State (U.S.A.) to Ontario (Canada) in the 1770s where he purchased a property in Dundas County. In 1796, while clearing some land, he found 20 apple trees growing wild. In transplanting the trees closer to his house, all but one died and it eventually became the source of one of the most widely grown apples and most influential cultivars, giving rise to a long list of varietals. It was known as the Gem until 1935. Probably a cross between Fameuse and Detroit Red .
cultivation: Moderately vigorous, upright spreading, spur bearer. Starts to produce fairly young, but has a tendency to bear the heaviest crops every other year. Requires a lot of pruning due to vigorous sucker growth. Very hardy. Ripens best in areas of full sun and cool nights.
cold storage: Can be kept up to three months without, but it tends to be fussy, becoming mealy if the temperature is too cold or too warm.
vulnerabilities: Susceptible to canker and scab. Moderately susceptible to blight. Very resistant to rust, somewhat to mildew.
harvest: Matures in middle portion of fourth period (125 to 145 days after petal drop) and subject to pre-harvest drop.
notes: The McIntosh is parent to more than 100 cultivars, partly because of its winter hardiness tolerances. It is also the national apple of Canada. A historic marker devoted to the McIntosh apple stands at Upper Canada Village Heritage Park, near where the original tree grew until 1910. Prior to its demise, cuttings of the tree were saved for propagation.
pollination group: B
pollination peak: 7
ploidism: Diploid. Partially self-fertile but produces best in proximity to trees with compatible pollen.
cold storage weeks: 12
brix: 11.4
harvest period: 4
hardiness: 4
sg: 1.0458
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