The McIntosh had been around for a long time. Named for John McIntosh who discovered it as a seedling on a partly overgrown farm in Dundas County in Ontario around 1811 the McIntosh proved to be an exceptionally hardy apple.
Instead of tossing the tiny trees onto a pile of brush that would later be burned, he transplanted them to a nearby garden.
Although John, his wife and two sons, Allan and Sandy, had been operating a nursery primarily for the sale of the McIntosh apples since the mid-1830s, it took until the 1890s before the variety became popular.
McIntosh apples are relatively less susceptible than Golden Delicious apples to changes in color and to development of shriveling when stored under similar conditions. McIntosh is a hardy apple producing quality dessert apple with firm, crisp, and tart flavor.
This apple has a bright red skin sometimes tinged with green. Its flesh is medium-crisp and juicy and its flavor is tartly sweet and perfume.
Apple variety: McIntosh
