Enterprise *

The blush on this handsome medium-large fruit covers all, but ranges from a lighter orangey red to deep crimson on the sunward side. Large white lenticels are an attractive decoration.

The apple is slightly conical, slightly lopsided, and slightly ribbed. The whole apple is firm and has a mellow and sweet aroma that reflects its Golden Delicious ancestry.

The flesh is yellow, medium-grained, firm, and juicy. Enterprise is very sweet though there is a little tartness and acidity, and hints of cider, spice, and pear. The skin is chewy, as you might expect from such a robust variety.

For Enterprise's claim to fame is that besides making a satisfying eating apple in synch with modern preferences for sweet and simple flavors, it is sturdy, disease-resistant, and high-yielding. Its very name is a bit of marketing aimed not at the apple-buying public but at growers.

Enterprise is also a late apple and an exceptional keeper, and an apple-lover could do worse than to stock up on these in November and eat them throughout the winter. One grower that has these for picking well into November is Phil's.