New Food Cookbook Chapter: Pomes

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Origin and cultivation: was one of the first fruits to be cultivated, and the wild ancestor still grows in Kazakhstan
Availability: becoming more and popular at farmers markets and gourmet grocery stores
Appearance: green, red, deep burgundy or spotty
Flavor: acidic crisp heirloom apples are great for cooking as well as eating out of hand
Trivia: Golden Russet was discovered in New York in the mid-1800s and has a distinctive flavor resembling a sauvignon blanc, with a curious crispy texture; Newtown Pippin was discovered in what is now Queens in New York City in the early 1700s, was made famous by Thomas Jefferson, and is sweet, tart with a classic apple flavor; Northern Spy was discovered in New York in the early 1800s and is sweet, tart, juicy and holds up well when cooking making it the classic apple for pie; Winesap was discovered in the early 1800s in New Jersey and is very crisp, sweet and tart with a unique wine-like spicy flavor
Origin and cultivation: named after Berkshire, in England, where it was raised over 300 years ago
Recipes:

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Origin and cultivation: was probably first cultivated in Persia or the Caucuses and was especially popular among the ancient Greeks and Romans
Availability: fall
Appearance: green fruit that looks like half apple half pear
Flavor: has an intense floral delicious smell, and a quince left out in a room will fill the space with a pleasant fragrance
Trivia: generally too astringent to eat raw so they are typically cooked with added sugar; because quinces have a lot of pectin, they keep their shape when cooked. Fell out of favor in the U.S. last century, but are making a comeback because of their unique flavor
Recipes:

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Also known as: Biwa, Pipa, Nespole or Nispero
Origin and cultivation: indigenous to China and popular in Asia
Availability: bruise easily and don't travel well, so they are hard to find, but Asian markets and specialty groceries occasionally have them
Appearance: small plumb-size fruit that varies in color from yellow to orange to apricot
Flavor: have a nice sweet fruity flavor balanced with acidity
Trivia: like other pomes, the seeds are slightly poisonous because they can release cyanide when digested only have 4 toes
Recipes:

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Also known as: Nashi Pear, Sand Pear, Apple Pear, Korean Pear, Japanese Pear or Chinese Pear
Origin and cultivation: cultivated in Asia, gaining in popularity in the rest of the world
Availability: year-round
Appearance: pale yellow apple
Flavor: sweet with a crispy crunchy texture
Trivia: unlike other types of pears, the texture never softens as it ripens
Recipes: