Newtown Pippin
Encyclopedia
The Newtown Pippin apple (also known as Albemarle Pippin) is an American apple that originated in the early 18th century.
around the stem. The flesh is yellow and crisp. The flavor is complex and somewhat tart, and requires storage to develop properly; some sources ascribe to it a piney aroma. Green and yellow varieties are sometimes distinguished but it is not clear that they are in fact distinct cultivars. It is one of the best keeping apples.
Originally grown as a dessert apple, it is now used commercially primarily for cider.
(a "pippin
") on the Gershom Moore estate in the village of Newtown (now called Elmhurst; the Moore property stood in the vicinity of what is now Broadway and 45th Avenue) in Queens County on Long Island
, New York in the early 18th century. It was widely grown and praised in colonial America. Thomas Jefferson, for example, wrote from Paris that "they have no apples here to compare with our Newtown Pippin."
It was widely cultivated in the Piedmont region
, brought there by Col. Thomas Walker, who grew it on his estate, Castle Hill
. U.S. presidents George Washington
and Thomas Jefferson
both grew the Newtown in Virginia, where it acquired the alternate name "Albemarle Pippin" after Albemarle County, Virginia
. It came to the fore in 1838 when Andrew Stevenson
, the American minister to Great Britain, presented Queen Victoria with a gift basket of the apples from his wife's Albemarle County orchard. In response, the British Parliament
lifted import duties on the variety, and it was an important export until duties were reimposed during World War II.
In modern times, the Newtown Pippin has been eclipsed by the Granny Smith apple, which is more handsome and not as susceptible to russetting. It is still grown commercially in New York, where it is an important component in a major brand of cider. On a larger commercial scale, California-based Martinelli's
uses this variety for its sparkling ciders. The Newtown pippin is still available in Virginia, New York, California, the Pacific Northwest, and a few other places in the East, including roadside stands and at farmer's markets. It continues to attract attention as an heirloom variety
, and was identified as one of the parents of the Ginger Gold
variety.
A partnership between the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, New York Restoration Project, Slow Food NYC, and Green Apple Cleaners is providing hundreds of Newtown Pippin saplings (and pollenizer
saplings) to community gardens, schools, parks and other public spaces throughout the city.
Characteristics
The Newtown Pippin is typically light green, sometimes with a yellow tinge. It is often russetedRusset apple
Russeting on apples is a particular type of skin, slightly rough, usually with a greenish-brown to yellowish-brown colour. Many apple cultivars have some natural russeting, but some are almost entirely covered in it, notably the Egremont Russet. Russet apples often exhibit a scent and flavour...
around the stem. The flesh is yellow and crisp. The flavor is complex and somewhat tart, and requires storage to develop properly; some sources ascribe to it a piney aroma. Green and yellow varieties are sometimes distinguished but it is not clear that they are in fact distinct cultivars. It is one of the best keeping apples.
Originally grown as a dessert apple, it is now used commercially primarily for cider.
Origins
This variety originated as a chance seedlingChance seedling
A chance seedling is a plant that is the product of unintentional breeding. It may be a genetically unique individual with desirable characteristics that is then intentionally bred. Plants that come from the artificial union of gametes from a maternal and paternal source are not chance...
(a "pippin
Pippin
Pippin, Peppin, and Pepin are variants of a single Frankish given name. It was the name of several important figures in the Carolingian family that ruled the Frankish Empire in what is now France and the western parts of Germany in the Middle Ages:* Pepin of Landen, nicknamed the Elder, sometimes...
") on the Gershom Moore estate in the village of Newtown (now called Elmhurst; the Moore property stood in the vicinity of what is now Broadway and 45th Avenue) in Queens County on Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, New York in the early 18th century. It was widely grown and praised in colonial America. Thomas Jefferson, for example, wrote from Paris that "they have no apples here to compare with our Newtown Pippin."
It was widely cultivated in the Piedmont region
Piedmont (United States)
The Piedmont is a plateau region located in the eastern United States between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the main Appalachian Mountains, stretching from New Jersey in the north to central Alabama in the south. The Piedmont province is a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division...
, brought there by Col. Thomas Walker, who grew it on his estate, Castle Hill
Castle Hill (Virginia)
Castle Hill , is an historic, plantation located at the foot of the Southwest Mountains in Albemarle County, Virginia, near Monticello and the city of Charlottesville, recognized by the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places. Castle Hill was the beloved home of Dr...
. U.S. presidents George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
and Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
both grew the Newtown in Virginia, where it acquired the alternate name "Albemarle Pippin" after Albemarle County, Virginia
Albemarle County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 79,236 people, 31,876 households, and 21,070 families residing in the county. The population density was 110 people per square mile . There were 33,720 housing units at an average density of 47 per square mile...
. It came to the fore in 1838 when Andrew Stevenson
Andrew Stevenson
Andrew Stevenson was a Democratic politician in the United States. Educated at the College of William and Mary, he married three times. His second wife, Sarah Coles, was a cousin of Dolley Madison and sister of Edward Coles, a governor of Illinois...
, the American minister to Great Britain, presented Queen Victoria with a gift basket of the apples from his wife's Albemarle County orchard. In response, the British Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland...
lifted import duties on the variety, and it was an important export until duties were reimposed during World War II.
In modern times, the Newtown Pippin has been eclipsed by the Granny Smith apple, which is more handsome and not as susceptible to russetting. It is still grown commercially in New York, where it is an important component in a major brand of cider. On a larger commercial scale, California-based Martinelli's
Martinelli's
Martinelli's is the brand name of S. Martinelli & Company, a juice company based in Watsonville, California. The company is privately held by descendants of the founders....
uses this variety for its sparkling ciders. The Newtown pippin is still available in Virginia, New York, California, the Pacific Northwest, and a few other places in the East, including roadside stands and at farmer's markets. It continues to attract attention as an heirloom variety
Heirloom plant
An heirloom plant, heirloom variety, or heirloom vegetable is a cultivar that was commonly grown during earlier periods in human history, but which is not used in modern large-scale agriculture...
, and was identified as one of the parents of the Ginger Gold
Ginger Gold
Ginger Gold is a yellow apple variety which entered commerce in the 1980s, though the original seedling dates from the late 1960s.-Characteristics:...
variety.
A partnership between the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, New York Restoration Project, Slow Food NYC, and Green Apple Cleaners is providing hundreds of Newtown Pippin saplings (and pollenizer
Pollenizer
A pollenizer or polleniser, sometimes pollinizer or polliniser is a plant that provides pollen.In American English, the words pollenizer and pollinator are often confused: A pollinator is the biotic agent that moves the pollen, such as bees, moths, bats, and birds...
saplings) to community gardens, schools, parks and other public spaces throughout the city.