Ambitious Apples
Estimated Inventory, lb : 0
Description/Taste
Ambitious apples are a small varietal, averaging 200 to 300 grams in weight, and have a round to slightly conical shape with flat, sloping shoulders tapering to a narrow base. The variety’s skin is semi-thin, taut, and mostly smooth, sometimes covered in tiny, raised lenticels, giving the surface a light texture. The skin also ripens from green to golden yellow hues with muted red blush. It is important to note that early-season Ambitious apples may retain green hues to their skin, even when ripe. This green coloring disappears as the season progresses. The red blush also varies on each fruit, as the amount of sun exposure to the surface will deepen the coloring. Underneath the skin, the pale-yellow flesh is dense, firm, and aqueous with a crisp and succulent consistency. The flesh also encases a small central core filled with tiny black-brown seeds. Ambitious apples are edible raw once ripe and release a unique, fruity, and sweet aroma. The variety is known for its high sugar content mixed with acidity, creating a sweet-tart taste. It is said Ambitious apples have a sharper flavor when freshly harvested. If left in a period of storage, the apples mellow in taste, and their sweetness is enhanced.
Seasons/Availability
Ambitious apples are harvested in early winter, mainly in November and early December. Once picked, the apples are left in a period of storage to develop a sweeter flavor. Ambitious apples have extended storage properties, allowing the fruits to be sold in commercial markets through the spring and early summer.
Current Facts
Ambitious apples, botanically classified as Malus domestica, are a Japanese variety belonging to the Rosaceae family. The bi-colored fruits are a seasonal cultivar released commercially in the Aomori Prefecture in Japan in 1985. Ambitious apples are a rare, specialty variety valued for their sweet flavor and extended storage properties. The apples are only produced by a few growers in the Aomori Prefecture and are mainly sold in their growing regions as a delicacy. Ambitious apples are typically stored after harvest to allow the fruits to develop a sweeter nature and are primarily consumed fresh as a dessert cultivar. The variety can also be utilized in a wide array of sweet or savory culinary preparations as a dual-purpose apple.
Nutritional Value
Ambitious apples have not been studied for their nutritional properties. Like other bi-colored apples, the variety may be a source of potassium to balance fluid levels within the body, fiber to regulate the digestive tract, vitamin C to strengthen the immune system, and calcium to support bones and teeth. Apples also provide magnesium to control nerve functions, iron to produce the protein hemoglobin for oxygen transport through the bloodstream, copper to develop connective tissues, and other nutrients, including vitamins A, E, and K, manganese, boron, and zinc. The variety’s red-blushed skin indicates the presence of anthocyanins, natural pigments in the fruit that contribute to its dark coloring. Anthocyanins have antioxidant-like properties to protect the cells against the damage caused by free radicals.
Applications
Ambitious apples have a sweet, subtly tangy flavor suited for fresh and cooked preparations. The variety is primarily consumed out of hand as a delicacy as it is a rare cultivar that is challenging to find in markets. Ambitious apples can also be sliced and served on fruit platters, chopped into salads, or thinly sliced and layered over toast and crostini. The variety’s mild, sweet taste complements any recipe calling for sweet apples, and the crisp flesh adds body and texture to slaws, grain bowls, or porridges. Try adding Ambitious apples to parfaits or stuffing them into sandwiches for flavor and crunch. In Japan, Ambitious apples are sometimes baked into desserts such as cakes, pies, tarts, crumbles, and turnovers. They are also blended into smoothies, shakes, and other fruit-based beverages. Ambitious apples can be cooked into jams, jellies, compotes, and syrups or simmered into fillings for various baked goods. Ambitious apples pair well with spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, vanilla, maple syrup, brown sugar, and nuts, including almonds, walnuts, and pecans. Whole, unwashed, Ambitious apples will keep for several weeks to months when stored in a cool, dry, and dark place, such as a cellar or the refrigerator’s crisper drawer. When purchasing the variety at the end of its season, it is recommended to consume the fruits immediately for the best quality and flavor. In professional cold storage, the variety can be kept for 4 to 5 months. Ambitious apples can also be dried or frozen for extended use.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
Ambitious apples were named after a famous phrase spoken by American professor Dr. William Smith Clark in 1877. The apple variety was initially named Hiraga after its site of cultivation, but over time, the variety was renamed Ambitious when it was officially registered with the Japanese government. Dr. William Smith Clark was an American professor, botanist, and Civil War colonel passionate about agriculture. He is most famous for his work conducted in Japan, but Dr. Clark was also a professor and later the president of Massachusetts Agricultural College in Amherst. Dr. Clark had a vision to reinvigorate the agricultural community surrounding the college despite the community’s apprehension. The Japanese government quickly noticed his efforts, and in 1876, he was hired to help establish Sapporo Agricultural College in Hokkaido. Japan was evolving into an open country during this time, and the government was hiring Western academics to help modernize various systems. Dr. Clark worked closely with the governor of Hokkaido, Kuroda Kiyotaka, to establish agriculture-based programs and became a favored professor among the students at the new agricultural college. It is said that Dr. Clark inspired his students to dream and take charge of their lives, teachings that were once forbidden in the previous feudal society. His students also viewed him as more than just a teacher, affectionately calling him Clark-sensei. Dr. Clark lived in Japan for around eight months, and on his journey home in 1877, the students and faculty accompanied him for thirteen miles before wishing him farewell. In his final dialogue with his students, he uttered this famous phrase, “Boys, be ambitious!” which became a well-known saying throughout Japan. Dr. Clark’s phrase later inspired the naming of Ambitious apples, and his words can be seen on several statues throughout Hokkaido in memory of the lasting impression he made on the community.
Geography/History
Ambitious apples are native to Japan and were developed in the late 19th century. The variety was created from a natural hybrid seedling of the Toukou apple, but most of the parentage and history are unknown. Famous apple breeder Jinya Kimura was believed to have contributed to the creation of this variety after his retirement from the Aomori Prefecture Apple Experimental Station. He cultivated the new variety in his home garden and produced over 73 trees that bore fruit in 1975. In 1979, he began selecting seedlings with choice fruits, but in 1982, Mr. Kimura passed away before the new variety was complete. Three breeders, Mr. Kiyoji Imaki, Mr. Renichi Kudo, and Mr. Seiichi Kudo, continued Mr. Kimura’s work and eventually created the variety initially called Hiraga. When the variety was officially registered with the Japanese government in 1985, the apple’s name was changed to Ambitious as a more memorable commercial moniker. Today, Ambitious apples are only grown in small, limited quantities in the Aomori Prefecture and are challenging to find outside its native growing region. The variety is also only found in Japan. The Ambitious apples featured in the photograph above were sourced through Isetan in Tokyo, Japan.
