This one had me kicking myself. It's something that members of my family have been eating for years, but it never registered with me. During many shopping trips I've surely bought dozens (hundreds?) of them. But oh well, it's not too late. So today I'll discuss the Envy apple.
I may have mentioned this before, but I'm not a big apple guy, as far as eating this fruit raw. I enjoy various desserts with apples (pies, cobblers, cakes, etc.), and cider can be nice, too. Plus, if you look at the ingredient lists carefully, apple juice is in pretty much every juice drink as a base, no matter what the billed flavor is. I guess it's a good bland base, and/or is cheap to acquire. However, just eating a raw, regular apple doesn't thrill me--I often find the skin unappetizing, and the flesh kind of mealy and unpleasant somehow. So bear this in mind after I give my opinions--I'm not an aficionado by any means.
As it turns out, New Zealand is a hotbed for apple cultivation and development. The Envy itself is of the Scilate variety, and comes from a cross between the Royal Gala and the Braeburn kinds. The parents are Kiwis too--the Royal Gala originated in New Zealand in the 1930's and was patented in 1974, and the Braeburn was found growing in these islands in 1952. The company that invented the Envy was HortResearch, and this new kind was patented in 2009. It's characterized by a tough and thick skin, pale yellow flesh, and a sweet, low acid flavor. It was distributed in North America by the Oppenheimer Group, which as far as I can tell is not associated with the nuclear bomb-making Robert Oppenheimer. Currently Envies are grown in New Zealand, Australia, Chile, and Washington State in the U.S., although folks are attempting to cultivate them in Italy, France, and the U.K. as well. One of Envy's siblings is the Jazz variety, also a child of the Braeburn and Royal Gala. (Evidently in different percentages of each to distinguish it, I suppose.) The Envy brand is now owned by the T & G Group of Companies. If you're interested, HortResearch also developed new strains of kiwi fruit, too. Finally, the official website for Envy contains many different recipes--apparently the apple is good raw, in salads, as a butter or barbecue sauce, as a cider or appletini, or in many kinds of pastries, to name just a few. Finally finally, the original ancient parent of all apples grew (and in fact still grows) in Central Asia, in the Kazakhstan area.
Envy apple: Its color was red with yellow portions and streaks. The interior was yellowish-white. It should surprise no one that I just had mine raw, and made no attempt to cook it up in a pie or anything. The taste was alright. Sweetish. Not mealy like some apples. Had the typical apple texture--crunchy to get into, but soft inside. Fairly juicy. All in all then it was decent, but not awesome enough to make me want to eat more of them. I'll stick to getting my apples cooked up or juiced, by people other than myself. I should note that many apple fans, including my mother, think Envies are among the best, if not the best kind they've ever had. So if you're really into apples, I would recommend them.
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