Golden Dorsett Apples
Estimated Inventory, lb : 0
This item was last sold on : 10/14/24
Description/Taste
Dorsett Golden apples are a medium to large varietal, averaging 6 to 7 centimeters in length and 7 to 8 centimeters in diameter, and have a round, conical, or slightly flattened shape. The fruits occasionally feature ribbing, a pronounced crown on the bottom, and flat, curved shoulders, while the stem is slender, green-brown, woody, and fibrous. The skin is somewhat thin, smooth, taut, and matte, featuring faint lenticels scattered across the surface. The apples ripen from green to shades of pale yellow, yellow-green, and golden yellow, and in some climates, the skin is blushed with patches of pale red to bright red striping and mottling. Underneath the surface, the white flesh is tinged with green and has a semi-aqueous, firm, and crisp consistency. The flesh also encases a small central core filled with tiny black-brown seeds. Dorsett Golden apples release a faint aroma when ripe and are edible raw or cooked. The flesh has a refreshing, light, sweet, and slightly tart taste with subtly fruity and vanilla-like nuances.
Seasons/Availability
Dorsett Golden apples are harvested in the early summer through mid-summer. The apples may also be found in some climates in the early fall.
Current Facts
Dorsett Golden apples, botanically classified as Malus domestica, are a chance seedling belonging to the Rosaceae family. The variety was discovered in the Bahamas in the mid-20th century and is known for its ability to grow in tropical and subtropical climates, regions not commonly associated with apple cultivation. Dorsett Golden apples have low chill requirements, ranging from 100 to 300 hours, allowing them to thrive in areas with mild climates. Comparatively, most other apple cultivars require anywhere from 500 to 1,000 hours of chill time. Dorsett Golden apples also have a semi-dwarf nature, growing 3 to 6 meters in height, and the trees begin fruiting after their second year, producing high yields of somewhat disease-resistant apples. The variety is an early-season cultivar often grown with Anna apple trees, another early variety, to encourage pollination and fruiting. Dorsett Golden apples are not a widespread commercial cultivar, but they are produced on a small scale in tropical to subtropical regions throughout the United States and the Bahamas. They also have a short shelf life and are often localized to their growing regions. The apples are regarded as all-purpose fruits and are incorporated into various fresh or cooked culinary preparations. Dorsett Golden apples acquired their commercial name after their discoverer, Irene Dorsett, combined with the fruit’s yellow coloring. In most markets, the variety is referred to as Dorsett Golden, but the reverse, Golden Dorsett, is also sometimes seen.
Nutritional Value
Dorsett Golden apples have not been studied for their nutritional properties. Like other yellow-skinned varieties, the apples may be a source of potassium to balance fluid levels within the body, calcium to build strong bones and teeth, fiber to regulate the digestive tract, and vitamin C to boost the immune system. Apples also provide small amounts of copper to develop connective tissues, magnesium to control optimal nerve functioning, vitamin E to protect the cells against the damage caused by free radicals, and other nutrients, including iron, vitamin K, and zinc.
Applications
Dorsett Golden apples have a light, sweet, and tart flavor suited for raw and cooked preparations. The variety is a favored early-season apple typically consumed out of hand for its refreshing nature. Dorsett Golden apples can also be sliced and tossed into salads, served on cheese boards, or used as a topping over parfaits, grain bowls, and oatmeal. The apple’s crisp nature allows it to be layered into sandwiches, dipped into caramel as a sweet snack, or served as a crunchy garnish on toast slathered in nut butter. In addition to fresh preparations, Dorsett Golden apples are simmered into jams, jellies, and other preserves or cooked into chutney. They are also cooked into sauces for roasted meats or baked into bread, muffins, pies, crumbles, and pastries. Beyond culinary dishes, Dorsett Golden apples are pressed into juice and infused into cider blends, fruit punches, or cocktails. They can also be blended into smoothies or dried for extended use into chewy strips or pieces as a snack. Dorsett Golden apples pair well with vanilla, maple syrup, caramel, nuts such as pistachios, pecans, walnuts, and hazelnut, herbs including parsley, mint, and cilantro, and spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. Whole, unwashed Dorsett Golden apples have a short shelf life and will only keep 1 to 2 weeks when stored in the refrigerator’s crisper drawer.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
William Francis Whitman Jr. is credited with bringing Dorsett Golden apples into commercial production. William Whitman, more commonly known as Bill Whitman, was a self-taught horticulturist and rare fruit enthusiast. Whitman grew up in Chicago, where his father owned a printing business, but eventually moved to Florida, where he became a realtor in Miami. Whitman had a passion for many things, including surfing, and was one of the pioneers who made surfing popular in Florida. On a trip to Tahiti, Whitman encountered tropical fruits he had never seen before and became enamored at the flavors and diversity. Returning to Miami, Whitman dedicated his life to introducing tropical fruits to Florida. Whiteman is known as the first grower to popularize miracle fruit and one of the only growers to successfully cultivate mangosteen in the continental United States. He also established the Rare Fruit Council International in 1955 and was president of the non-profit organization until 1960. Throughout his life, Whitman helped introduce several new fruits to Florida, including Dorsett Golden apples and helped promote the varieties to encourage consumers to adopt the fruits into their diets.
Geography/History
Dorsett Golden apples are native to the Bahamas and were discovered growing as a chance seedling in the mid-20th century. It is said Irene Dorsett was visiting New York in 1953 and brought a yellow apple variety back with her to her home in Nassau, the capital city of New Providence Island in the Bahamas. Mrs. Dorsett planted the seeds from the apple in her garden, and one of the seeds eventually germinated and sprouted a seedling, bearing fruit approximately six years later. The chance seedling produced golden fruits with a pink-red blush and gained notoriety for its ability to be grown in a tropical climate. In 1961, Miami realtor and rare fruit enthusiast William Whitman visited Mrs. Dorsett about her apple tree and took cuttings from the mother tree back to Florida. Whitman used these cuttings to commercially propagate the apples and named the variety Dorsett Golden. Newcomb Nursery was the first company in Florida to commercially sell Dorsett Golden apples, and in 1973 and 1974, the variety was extensively tested and evaluated by the University of Florida’s Horticultural Farm in Gainesville. This testing confirmed that the apples were suited for tropical and subtropical climates and also attempted to identify parent varieties. It was rumored that Dorsett Golden apples were a chance seedling derived from Golden Delicious apples, but in their examinations, the horticultural farm hypothesized that the variety was more likely related to Ein Shemer, an apple from Israel. Ein Shemer apples were developed through a breeding program at the Ein Shemer Kibbutz in northern Israel and had similar low-chill requirements to Dorsett Golden. The variety also has Golden Delicious in its parentage, a probable explanation for Dorsett Golden’s yellow coloring and sweet taste. Today, Dorsett Golden apples are grown throughout the Bahamas and in subtropical to tropical regions of the United States. Unfortunately, the mother tree was cut down in Mrs. Dorsett’s garden by accident by a gardener who thought the dormmate tree was dead, but the cuttings taken from the mother tree are still alive in some parts of Florida. Dorsett Golden apples were also entered into the National Fruit Collection in England in 1969 to preserve and protect the variety. When in season, Dorsett Golden apples are sold through local markets in its growing regions.
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Golden Dorsett Apples. One
is easiest, three is harder.| Martha Stewart |
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Sauteed Apples with Thyme |
