Pacific Beauty Apples
Estimated Inventory, 88 ct : 0
Description/Taste
Pacific Beauty apples are a medium to large varietal, averaging 7 to 8 centimeters in diameter, and have a round to conical shape with flat shoulders tapering to a narrow base. The apples are fairly uniform and have a thick, woody, dark brown stem set in a small cavity often filled with textured russet. The russet may spill out from the cavity onto the shoulders, and some ribbing is noticeable on the fruits, depending on growing conditions. The skin is semi-thick, waxy, smooth, glossy, and taut, showcasing prominent white lenticels and the occasional faint bloom. The skin also has a golden yellow base when ripe and is almost entirely enveloped in a dark red and pink blush. The blush can be opaque to translucent and washes over the skin in variegated patches. Underneath the surface, the yellow to cream-colored flesh is firm, dense, coarse, and aqueous with a crisp and crunchy consistency. The flesh also encases a small central core filled with tiny black-brown seeds. Pacific Beauty apples release a mild aroma, and the flesh is high in sugar and acidity, creating a rich, sweet, and tart taste.
Seasons/Availability
Pacific Beauty apples are harvested in the fall.
Current Facts
Pacific Beauty apples, botanically classified as Malus domestica, are a New Zealand variety belonging to the Rosaceae family. The early to mid-season cultivar was developed from a breeding program in the late 20th century and was selected for its rosy coloring, crisp texture, sweet-tart flavor, and extended storage capabilities. Pacific Beauty apples are also known as Sciearly apples, sometimes written as SciEarly, the original name given to the fruits in New Zealand when they were first bred. When the variety was chosen for commercial production, they were rebranded under Pacific Beauty to increase consumer appeal in markets. Pacific Beauty apples grow on vigorous, upright, and spreading trees and are a commercial apple primarily consumed fresh as a dessert cultivar. They are also multi-purpose and can be incorporated into sweet or savory cooked preparations.
Nutritional Value
Pacific Beauty apples have not been studied for their nutritional properties. Like other modern apple cultivars, the variety is a source of fiber to regulate the digestive tract, vitamin E to reduce inflammation, potassium to balance fluid levels within the body, and calcium to protect bones and teeth. The apples also provide iron to develop the protein hemoglobin for oxygen transport through the bloodstream, vitamin C to boost the immune system, magnesium to control nerve functioning, vitamin A to maintain healthy organs, and other nutrients, including boron, zinc, copper, and vitamin K. The red-pink pigments in the apple’s skin indicate the presence of anthocyanins, antioxidants that protect the cells against the damage caused by free radicals.
Applications
Pacific Beauty apples have a sweet-tart taste suited for fresh and cooked preparations. The variety is popularly consumed straight out of hand as a dessert apple and is favored by consumers for its colorful skin. Pacific Beauty apples can be used in any preparation generally calling for apples. The versatile fruits can be shredded into slaws, tossed into salads, or layered for added crunch in cold sandwiches, paninis, grilled cheeses, and burgers. They can also be chopped into fruit medleys, mixed into grain bowls, blended into smoothies, or pressed into fresh juice. Try serving Pacific Beauty apples on charcuterie boards to complement nuts, dried fruits, and cheeses. In addition to fresh preparations, Pacific Beauty apples can be simmered into sauces as a side to roasted meats, infused into syrups for cocktails, or cooked into jams, jellies, and other preserves. The apples can also be minced into stuffing, baked into pastries, muffins, pies, tarts, cookies, and cakes, or sauteed in browned butter and spices as a decadent topping to pour over desserts and ice cream. Pacific Beauty apples pair well with maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, nuts including almonds, pine, walnuts, and pecans, fruits such as strawberries, grapes, citrus, and melons, and spices including ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Whole, unwashed Pacific Beauty apples will keep for 1 to 3 weeks when stored in the refrigerator’s crisper drawer. The fruits can also be frozen for extended use and later utilized for sauces and baking.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
Pacific Beauty apples were one of several apples to be released in an apple line known as the Pacific Series. The line was bred by the New Zealand Apple Breeding Program in Havelock North, a town in the Hawke’s Bay region of New Zealand. There were three main apples released in the Pacific Series line, Pacific Beauty, Pacific Queen, and Pacific Rose, and the fruits were surprisingly developed from the same parentage of Gala and Splendor apples. The Pacific Series apples are considered sister varieties and are known under their breeding names as Sciearly, Scired, and Sciros. There was also another variety known as Sciglo, made from the same parentage that was not chosen as a part of the commercial line. Each varietal has a slightly different appearance, ripening time, and flavor and is considered distinct. Pacific Rose apples are the most famous of the Pacific Series apples, and Pacific Beauty apples are the second-known variety in commercial markets. The branded fruits were named after New Zealand’s location in the Pacific, combined with a descriptor to differentiate the cultivars in retail markets.
Geography/History
Pacific Beauty apples are native to New Zealand and were developed through the New Zealand Apple Breeding Program in Havelock North. The variety was created from a cross of Gala and Splendor apples in 1984 and was bred by scientists Don McKenzie and Allan White. Multiple seedlings were produced from crossing Splendor and Gala apples, and several of these seedlings were chosen as a part of the program’s Pacific Series. Pacific Beauty apples were selected for commercial production in the 1990s for their appearance, flavor, and texture and were marketed by ENZA, a company formerly known as the New Zealand Apple and Pear Marketing Board. The variety was also planted in the United States, primarily in the Pacific Northwest, for expanded cultivation. In 1997, the breeders of Pacific Beauty apples, also known as Sciearly, applied for a United States Plant Patent and were approved in 1999 under USPP 11092P. Despite its approval, the patent expired in 2017 and was not renewed. Pacific Beauty apples were also trialed and tested at the Okanagan Plant Improvement Company at the Pacific Agri-Food Research Center in Summerland, British Columbia, in 2003. After several years of trials, the cultivar was released to growers in Canada. Today, Pacific Beauty apples are a relatively unknown apple variety grown on a small scale. The variety is mainly known by its Sciearly name and is sold through select farmer’s markets, grocers, and distributors in New Zealand, Canada, and the Pacific Northwest of the United States.
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Pacific Beauty Apples. One
is easiest, three is harder.| Mum Life Mom Life |
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Homemade Sausage Rolls |
