This is the only apple I know of that’s on Facebook. So far, Piñata has 44 Facebook fans, but that number will surely increase as more people discover this new apple. It was Germany’s Apple of the Year in 2001 and in 2004 Stemilt Growers of Wenatchee, Washington bought the exclusive rights to grow and sell the apple in the US. They’re harvested in October but cold storage intensifies their flavor, so Stemilt waits until January to ship them out to stores.
Its name is Stemilt’s trademarked combination of Pinova and Sonata, the names it was known by overseas. It’s a crisp, crunchy apple said to be equally good for baking and eating and here’s its suprising claim: its flesh does not turn brown when cut. The claim holds up. The thumbnail is a Piñata I cut and left on the counter about 12 hours before photographing it. If you click and enlarge it, you’ll see the discoloration is far less than expected after all that time, making it a prime candidate for salads when thinly sliced or in a small dice.
I haven’t tried cooking or baking with Piñatas, but its pedigree includes Golden Delicious, always a good choice for baking when mixed with other types of apples. Its other “parents” are Cox’s Golden Pippin and the Duchess of Oldenburg. The result is a sweet, fruity-tasting fruit — I can’t describe it better than that — and it’s somewhat juicy. They’re large and cost, in my area, $1.99 per pound.
Will the Piñata replace the Honeycrisp as my favorite apple? No. Honeycrisps are simply amazing but they’re autumn apples, so finding the flavor a Piñata offers in the dead of winter is a welcome surprise.
For more, Stemilt has a website devoted to this new addition to the produce department with a video and a few recipes.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi ella,
I tried a new apple this past week–new for me at least. The cameo. It is very tasty and I like the coloration. Not quite as sweet as the Honeycrisp or the Pink Lady, which I really like. But flavorful and not “mealy.” The color is rich with multi-colored striations, making it a visual treat (worth painting, to be certain).
I’ll try these Piñata’s if I see them. That’s odd about the oxidation: I wonder if they have an usually high vitamin C content?
Be well.
I thought about Vitamin C too, but I don’t know and of course, they’re not telling. I found them at a regular supermarket, one with a good selection of produce, but like every market in New England (except Stew Leonard’s in CT) the quality is hit or miss. Usually miss. Sometimes I wish I didn’t know what excellent, even consistently good, produce is like.
Cameos are delicious for eating out of hand. Pinatas are crunchier, and they really are crunchy more than crisp, if that makes any sense. Cameos are better-looking but I think Pinatas might have the edge on flavor.
Happy reading!
I took a trip to Whole PC this afternoon, and what popped out at me from over yonder, saying, “Hey, Over here!”
Yep, organic piñatas. (2.49/lb, since I figure you’ll be curious). They were all fairly large size, as you note, but I picked up three. Very tasty. Nice change. “Fruity-tasting,” so they’re not just like another variety of apple, which I’ve been eating a lot of this winter. They require a lot of chewing, which is a bit odd, and they are denser than most apples. Perhaps that has something to do with the slow oxidation process?
Anyway, very pleased with the purchase. Thanks for the tip!
Word Bandit’s last blog post..Happy Birthday, Toni Morrison
Dense is the perfect word! Much better than my crunchy. It’s what I was alluding to when I wrote about putting them in salads either thinly sliced or in a small dice. It’s not the apple to cut into wedges for a salad.
I’m glad you like them — and thanks for the price report! You know me so well.
(I saw organic Braeburns recently at $1.99 and thought of you.)