Martinelli's cancels contracts with Watsonville apple growers, raising concerns
The report doesn't mention it, but Martinelli's taste doesn't come from just any ol' apples. A major component of its tastes comes from my favorite apple variety - 'Newtown Pippin'. That is the variety those Watsonville growers are growing. Those used to be *the* green apple in stores when I was a kid, but it has been supplanted by the inferior (in my opinion) 'Granny Smith'.
'Newtown Pippin' is a US variety of apple that originated as a chance seedling in NY in the 18th century. The fact that there are fewer and fewer acres of it in the US (in the places where it can be grown well) is a real tragedy.
If Martinelli's stops buying as much, there's a lot of pressure to convert the orchards to another crop, like wine grapes. Market pressures did that to 'Gravenstein' apples in Sonoma and Napa counties. We lose agrobiodiversity when that happens. #FruitToot
'Newtown Pippin' is sweet enough for fresh eating, but has a tart kick for those of us who like our sweet on the tart side. It also has a white wine-like complexity to its flavor which is why it's a major component of Martinelli's famous taste.
It is also a good component of hard apple ciders, which is why the farmer being interviewed is trying to shift to selling his crop to the various craft cider makers around. #FruitToot
If you like Martinelli's (non-alcoholic) cider, I suggest you contact them and remind them that you like what 'Newtown Pippin' contributes to their apple cider blended flavor and you'd like them to keep supporting Watsonville growers of this cultivar.
If you live around that part of California, you can also support these growers by buying apples at their farm shops and support hard cider and other companies that use their crops. Let's keep 'Newtown Pippin'!
@lemay Berkeley Bowl gets them in season, or did last I was able to go there some years ago. Hale's Apples in Sebastopol has them in season at their farm stand.
Stemilt in Washington grows them, but the phenotype is a bit different and since they're grown in a different place, the taste is often different, but it's still better than most apples in stores.
This looks to be an OR source: https://www.thefruitcompany.com/products/newtown-pippin-apples#tab-label-description
Reader reports on where they're carried:
https://specialtyproduce.com/produce/Pippin_Apples_20211.php
@lemay I haven't found any of the farms that grow them in their traditional CA range (which climate change is probably shifting) selling them for mail order online, though. There are farm shops you can get them from there, but it was always such a long drive for me.
Prevedelli and Radich Farms have sold 'Newtown Pippin' in the past. More farms listed here: https://www.localharvest.org/ark/newtown-pippin-apple
@ml I admit a large part of my frustration in the bay area involved not wanting to drive a long way to get them, and also not wanting to pay like $8 apple. (especially when they had been so abundant locally until recently.)
But your comment about the different phenotype is interesting because one year I did find pippins at a specialty grocery but they did not taste much like pippins, kind of sweet and mushy. Washington apples would explain that.
Megan Lynch (she/her)
laura lemay
Melissa Santos
thanne