Time for an apple lesson. With the harvest upon us, you’ll discover more varieties of apples for sale in Meaford than you might have even known existed.

Here are some popular local favourites.

McIntosh – The popular “Mac” is celebrating its 200th birthday this year. Back in 1811, a Scottish immigrant named John McIntosh was clearing his Eastern Ontario farm when he discovered a number of seedling apple trees. He tranplanted them, but only one survived. Carefully nurtured, that single tree spawned one of the most popular apple varieties in the world. Macs make up about 40 percent of the local harvest.

Northern Spy – Next most predominant in the Georgian Bay area, the Spy is first choice for pie fillings and apple sauce.

Empire – A cross between the McIntosh and Red Delicious, this slightly tart variety is juicy, firm and crisp, and makes great applesauce.

Gala – The yellow-orange fruit set off by a red blush is a great picking and eating apple.

Cortland – Wonderful for fresh eating, pies and salads. Cortland slices resist browning and stay white in salads. Mildly sweet with white flesh.

Ida red – A tart tasting white flesh; best stored until Christmas. Delicious baked, makes a super apple pie, and great fresh eating.

Honeycrisp – Released in 1991, the Honey Crisp is quickly gaining vast favour. Exceptionally crisp, pale, yellow flesh with just a hint of tartness. Amazing eating, but also excellent for cooking.

Georgian Bay Honeycrisps