Yellow June

Yellow June: This apple is of unknown origin, but it is has been known to exist since 1845. If this apple ripened during August or later, it may have slipped into extinction. There are many other varieties ripening later in the season that offer much more. The Yellow June is tart, it bruises easily, and does not keep well.  However, timing is everything to this apple. As a child, I loved this apple because it was the first to ripen at my grandparents’ farm, often around Father’s Day in June. Rural southerners knew the advantages of an apple ripening this early and  had waited many months to taste the first apple of the summer season. Since my childhood, I have discovered that this apple is also one of the best frying apples, having the consistency of a sauce. Though this apple does not have the fresh eating qualities of the Carolina Red June, it ripens slightly earlier, definitely cooks better, and is more tart. The fruit is medium in size, a bright yellow upon full ripening (green otherwise), and the flesh white, tender, and briskly subacid. Ripens in late June and early July.