A Is For Apple And Ambrosia™

A is for apple...and Ambrosia™, a new variety of "club apple" on the top 10 list of highest selling apples in the United States — and it's a favorite for cooking, baking, juicing, and eating out of hand.

Washington State produces about 70 percent of the apples (14 billion annually) sold in the U.S. each year, but Wenatchee, Washington, the "Apple Capitol of the World" is ground zero for this sweet pink apple. So where did this super apple come from? 

A Seed Spawns a New Apple Variety
Kismet played a role in the cultivation of the Ambrosia™, which was a "volunteer" seedling Wilfrid and Sally Mennell discovered growing in the family's orchard in Cawston in the Similkameen Valley in British Columbia, Canada. It was the late 1980s and this unidentified seedling just appeared in an orchard planted entirely with Jonagold apples.

Unsure about the apple variety, and curious to see if seedling would mature and bear fruit, Wilfrid nurtured it along and in 1990 apples appeared on the trees branches. When the apple reached full ripeness it was the pickers who first noticed this apple was different from the Jonagold apples around it. Each large, apple was perfectly shaped and free of any blemishes or discoloration, but proof of the apple's worth was in its taste, which was exceptional. It was so sweet and delicious, and irresistible; the pickers stripped the tree of every single apple and ate them on the spot. And this of course caught Wilfrid's attention.

A Canadian Apple Becomes an American Beauty
Despite everyone's enthusiasm, Wilfrid took a wait and see attitude to be sure the apple was viable, could consistently produce high quality fruit, and was marketable. As he tells it, "You first of all start out with something that's interesting, then you find it grows rather nicely, and then a number of people try it."

Encouraged by the new apple variety's taste and appearance, and interest from other growers, Mennell grafted cuttings from the mother tree onto new rootstock, and in 1993, with the help of the Okanagan Plant Improvement Corporation (PICO), took the first step to full scale production and registered the apple as a new variety. He named the new apple Ambrosia, which in Greek mythology means "food of the gods" and he hoped consumers would find the name enticing.

Join the Club
How the Ambrosia™ apple began in Canada to become one of America's best selling apples is part of a new trend in apple growing and marketing that is changing consumer access to more, better tasting apples.  In 1999, the Mennell  family obtained a U.S. patent for Ambrosia and trademarked the name with a $1 royalty fee per tree or $1,000 per acre (whichever is the lesser) plus a franchise fee of $1,000 per acre.

A quick perusal of most grocery store produce sections includes familiar apple varieties like Red Delicious and Granny Smith but they are quickly being replaced by newer breeds like Pink Lady™, SweeTango®, Jazz™...and Ambrosia™. Yes, these new apples are tasty and attractive, but they have something else in common that's more important: the trademark symbols next to their names.

Anytime you see a trademark symbol next to an apple name (or cherry, pear, etc.) it indicates the name is proprietary and an orchardist must pay a license fee and adhere to strict growing, harvesting, processes, and marketing requirements if they want to grow and sell the apple. These "club apples" are carefully bred by genetic scientists to ensure they are perfect specimens that look as good as they taste. For the last 15 years club fruit, like Ambrosia™ has been making significant inroads into the market and because it offers premium, consistent quality consumers are willing to pay more.

McDougall & Sons Make Ambrosia™ a Star
American consumers' demand for high quality fruit is what spurred the move across the border into in the U.S. and it was Washington orchardist, McDougall & Sons, in Wenatchee, Washington, that put Ambrosia™ on the map. When Ambrosia™ was first patented and trademarked, only a few U.S. growers were licensed to grow Ambrosia™ and a limited number of nurseries had access to the variety. This all changed when McDougall & Sons, a family-owned fruit growing company in Wenatchee, Washington that has been growing apples for more than 100 years, received an exclusive license in 2005.

In partnership with marketing firm, CMI, McDougall & Sons, especially Scott McDougall, has taken an early club fruit and managed it so successfully that its gaining on other club fruits. Scott McDougall's skills and knowledge as an orchardist and horticulturalist, and his dedication to quality are second to none in the industry.

From seedling to cultivating, harvesting, packing, and storing the care of the fruit is paramount ensuring it arrives in stores at peak ripeness and fresh and ready to eat.

Taste and Texture Make a Difference
In the highly competitive world of commercial fruit, the Ambrosia™ apple is highly prized for its uniform shape, size, and blush kissed, crisp skin but it's the apple's natural sweetness, creamy tender flesh, and aromas of apple blossoms and honey that make it a standout. Intense flavors envelope the taste buds with ripe, sweet fruit that wins people over every time and for an unforgettable snack, nothing is quite like Ambrosia™ as the snap of the skin reveals pale flesh and it releases its tempting juices to run down your arm and drip from your chin.

Here are some of Ambrosia™ apples other attributes:

• All Ambrosia™ apples are non-GMO and grown using organic and conventional growing methods. Ambrosia's low acidity makes it easy for small children and seniors to digest.
• Folks who prefer tart apples love it for its crisp, bright flavors.
• Cooks love Ambrosia™ because it doesn't oxidize easily or turn brown when sliced or diced and added to slaws and salads.
• Ambrosia is versatile in baked desserts and savory dishes or eaten out of hand.
• In 2015, Ambrosia™ apples were, for the first time, included in the gift baskets presented to nominees in the Best Actor/Actress, Best Supporting Actor/Actress and Best Director categories for the 87th Annual Oscars® in Hollywood.
• If stored in the crisper in your refrigerator, it can retain its fresh flavor for weeks.

The next time your child wants to give his or her teacher an apple, reach for an Ambrosia™ apple. After all, if it's good enough for Greek gods it should be happily received. 

Summer Whitford is the D.C. Editor and a food, drink and travel writer at The Daily Meal. In addition to lifestyle topics, Summer also writes about culture and the arts at Woman Around Town. You can follow her on Twitter @FoodandWineDiva and on Instagram at thefoodandwinediva.