Stolovka Apples
Estimated Inventory, lb : 0
Description/Taste
Stolovka apples are medium to large fruits with a conical to round, slightly flattened, curved shape. The skin is thin, smooth, lightly ribbed, and waxy with a yellow-green base, covered in red striped blush and pale lenticels. Underneath the surface, the flesh is white, aromatic, fine-grained, crisp, and firm, encasing a central core filled with small, brown seeds. Stolovka apples have a moderate acidity level, developing a tangy, fruity flavor with a sweet aftertaste.
Seasons/Availability
Stolovka apples are available in the early summer through fall.
Current Facts
Stolovka apples, botanically classified as Malus domestica, are a rare variety belonging to the Rosaceae family. The sweet-tart fruits are an early-season cultivar, favored for its summer harvest and pronounced aromatic flavor. Stolovka apples are known by many other names worldwide, including Suisleper, Suislepp, Sommerapfel, Weissenstein Yabol, Switzer, and Red-Radiant Yabol. The variety is not commercially cultivated on a large scale due to its low yields, short storage capabilities, and susceptibility to canker, a disease that attacks the bark of the tree. Despite its lack of large-scale cultivation, the apples are grown in home gardens and valued among apple enthusiasts as a dessert variety.
Nutritional Value
Stolovka apples are an excellent source of fiber to regulate the digestive tract and are high in vitamin C, an antioxidant that reduces inflammation and strengthens the immune system. The apples also contain some potassium to balance fluid levels within the body, calcium to strengthen bones and teeth, and iron to help build hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells used to transport oxygen.
Applications
Stolovka apples are best suited for fresh and cooked applications such as baking, roasting, and simmering. The crisp fruits can be consumed straight, out-of-hand with the core discarded, or they can be sliced for green salads, chopped and tossed into fruit bowls, or cut and displayed with cheeses and nuts on appetizer plates. The fresh fruits can also be juiced for beverages or blended into smoothies. In addition to raw preparations, Stolovka apples can be stuffed with nuts and baked, sliced and simmered in sweet sauces, baked into pies, tarts, cakes, muffins, and bread, blended into applesauce, or cooked into jellies, jams, and chutney. The fruits can also be sliced thin and baked into apple chips, roasted with meats, or cut and dried into apple strips. Stolovka apples pair well with spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove, caramel, vanilla, brown sugar, nuts such as pecans, walnuts, and almonds, meats such as poultry, bison, beef, and pork, and herbs such as mint, parsley, and sage. Whole, unwashed Stolovka apples will keep 6 to 8 weeks when stored in the refrigerator's crisper drawer.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
Stolovka apples are a rare variety grown in home gardens throughout Eastern Europe and Central Asia. In Kazakhstan, the cultivar is found in the Issyk state farm, a garden established in 1959. The garden features over 1200 hectares of orchards with many rare fruit varieties, and it is believed that the orchard is one of the oldest in existence within the region. In Soviet times, gardens used to be run by trained specialists, and it was often a generational profession passed down between family members. As the economy changed and the younger generation sought out urban-based careers, agricultural enterprises began to decline. In the modern-day, it is rare to find expansive gardens still operating, such as the Issyk state farm, but some horticulturalists are striving to preserve the gardens and the unusual apple varieties found within the orchards.
Geography/History
Stolovka apples are believed to be native to Livonia, an ancient region within the Baltic states that is now known as Latvia and Estonia. The variety has been cultivated in the region for over one hundred years and was named after Suislepp Manor, an estate near the city of Viljandi, also known as Fellin, where the apples were first discovered. The parentage of Stolovka apples is mostly unknown, with some experts believing it is a cross between siberian and nedzvetsky apples, while others hypothesize that it is derived from natural selection. After their discovery, Stolovka apples were spread throughout Europe and Central Asia, where the variety became favored for its early-ripening nature. In 1870, Stolovka apples were imported into the United States from Russia, where they underwent years of research and testing, but never became a commercially cultivated variety. Today Stolovka apples are found through select farms and home gardens throughout Central Asia, specifically in Kazakhstan and Russia, and are also found in limited quantities in Europe and the United States.
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Stolovka Apples. One
is easiest, three is harder.
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