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Today's apple is another from the Midwest Apple Improvement Association. It is large and blocky and a little ribbed, and feels firm and substantial.
Its red blush is tinted with a dollop of orange and is accented by large tanned dots. The unblushed area is a light yellow, and the peel is attractively glossy.
The stem well is quite deep, and at the other end the calyx is partially open.
Taste
So, what is Sweet Zinger like when it is at home?
Immediately, there are intense floral flavors that remind me of perfumed soap, without the soap. Lilac? Lavender?
I really can't tell, but these saturated tastes persist through the last bite.
The flesh is firm, crisp, hard, coarse grained, light yellow. It is juicy and very much on the sweet side.
I do not object to the name, but find very little zing, beyond a faint citric note that balances the sugar. It might be orange.
The balance is quite lively; maybe that is the zing.
The flesh breaks off in great satisfying chunks.
Sweet Zinger is flavorful and holds up very well. The last bite is as good as the first.
If you can stand the sugar (and, even I can) this is a very fine apple, easy to like and still interesting. I ate mine down to the core!
According to the apple improvers, Zinger is a GoldRush x Sweet Sixteen cross with "a honeyed citrus flavor." That's not how it struck me, but hey, keep an eye out for this one and see for yourself!
And if you do, let us know what you think in the comments.
Sweet as in Gala? Cloying. Thats how I read.
ReplyDeleteBut any cross with GoldRush has to be a good thing.
Hey Brad,
DeleteI think one either finds a way to enjoy these apples despite the sugar overload, or else must just pass on all the new varieties. We live in a Honeycrisp world.
What I like about this variety (versus Honeycrisp and its ilk) is (1) flavors and (2) less sweet, or at least reasonably balanced by some tart qualities that coexist with the sugar.