Ambrosia
Eating, Salads & Sauces
Ambrosia means “Food of the Gods”. This apple variety is sweet, crisp, juicy and is best described as refreshing when you bite into one. Its flavour makes it an excellent apple for slicing. The colour is almost entirely red with a distinctive red/ pink blush and faint stripes.
Cortland
Eating, Salads & Baking
Cortland apples have a juicy white flesh with a tart yet sweet flavour. This apple variety is known to be bright red with dark red streaks and are great for eating fresh or cooking. This apple is a cross between McIntosh and Ben Davis which came from Cornell University, NY in 1898.
Honeycrisp
Eating, Sauces & Baking
Nova Scotia’s warm sunny days, and nights cooled by the ocean breeze makes our Honeycrisp apples sweeter and redder than all the others. Nice and juicy with creamy white flesh. Honeycrisp’s taste is sweet with the right touch of honey flavor. Harvested by hand and carefully stem clipped to avoid skin pokes this apple variety is a cross between a Keepsake and MN 1627 (an unreleased variety from the University of Minnesota).
Gala
Eating, Salads & Baking
Gala apples have a creamy yellow flesh with a mild, sweet flavour. This variety has a thin skin which makes it a favourite for many. Gala apples have a striking bright red- yellow colour and are ideal for eating fresh, adding to a salad, or juicing.
McIntosh
Eating, Sauces
The McIntosh apple originated as a wild seedling found by John McIntosh in St. Lawrence Valley, Canada. The flesh of this apple variety is white, crisp, and tart-sweet and ranges in colour from a red stripe over a green background to almost entirely dark red.
Pazazz®
Pazazz® is an apple variety like no other. It’s a descendent of the beloved Honeycrisp but has a unique look and taste all its own. With every bite you’ll enjoy a burst of sweet yet tart flavor – plus Pazazz’s® famous crunch. Whether you’re eating a Pazazz® as a fresh snack or trying one of our special recipes, “Wow Right Now” is just a bite away.
SweeTango®
Eating, Salads & Baking
SweeTango® apples have the loudest crunch on the apple market (don’t believe us? Try it for yourself!). The name SweeTango® was chosen to reflect the harmonious sweet and tart flavour combination you experience on your first bite. This apple variety is a cross between Honeycrisp and Zestar creating the perfect apple for you to snack on.
With so many to choose from, it can be hard to know which apples were grown here in Nova Scotia and which ones “come from away”. If you see any of the logos from the partners below, you know you are supporting local farmers. And if you aren’t sure, ask your local retailer and they can help tell you which apples are local. Hint: They’re usually red, sweet, and have a little maritime shine!
After apples are picked, they are brought by the farmer to different storage facilities. Each variety of apple can have different storage requirements! Controlled Atmosphere rooms, or “CA” rooms, are used to remove the oxygen to slow the respiration rate and put the apples in a dormant state to slow their ripening process to extend the marketing season. When they are taken out of storage to be brought to the store, they taste as if they were just picked off the tree!
Brought to you by the Nova Scotia Fruit Growers Association