Not to be confused with Sunrise Magic, an unrelated later-season apple, my Sunrise is decidedly oblate and blocky, with moderate ribbing and an orange red blush that partially covers green yellow.
Close inspection finds many tiny tan lenticel dots in the blush. They are even harder to find, and green, in the unblushed regions.
The calyx is slightly parted on these and there is some russet in the stem well.
Sunrise has a great crunch with a good sweet-tart balance. There is a
bit of an acid kick, but it is balanced by sugar. The white fine-grained flesh
is tinted with green.
My samples might be early, though not by much.
Sunrise brears delicate floral flavors with a little spice, some pure cane sugar, and not much else. Maybe a kind of sour melon.
There is a bitter note in the finish, but overall the crunch elevates Sunrise to something refreshing and fine, and especially so for an early apple.
Origins
Orange Pippin notes there is a little-grown Victorian apple with the same name, and has other interesting commentary.
I had to go to Canada to find this apple, where it seems to be plentiful. The tres gentille people at Verger Henryville in Quebec were selling these by the peck at the end of August; when I explained that I only wanted to buy two, they gave them gratis.
There is a dearth of quality apples in August, and Sunrise stands out.
I'm a fan of this apple. Early in the season, the flavors are very mild, but as you say, the acid sugar balance is very nice. The texture is great, easy to eat. Overall it is in no way challenging, but hey, not every cheese needs to be some strongly flavored aged stuff. Sometimes a nice creamy mild cheese is just the ticket. Later in the season, it does develop more flavor. It is never strong, but it is somewhat complex and very delicious. The bottom line is that I often eat a lot of them in season. I have made a lot of crosses with it hoping to inject more flavor, while keeping the size, texture and building on the flavor it has. It is not ripe here yet and I would suspect yours are not at their best. That is a problem with buying apples instead of growing them. Many growers harvest early so the apples keep better and they can get them to market quicker. Before I had a lot of these, my impression was that they just tasted like green grape and sugarcane, but they can build more flavors later in the season.
ReplyDeleteThank you for adding some depth! Your characterization of this apple right off the tree (and a little early) matches my experience.
DeleteI'm not likely to find one that has been allowed to mature along the lines of yours—for the reasons you mention.