Empire is a clonally propagatedcultivar of apple derived from a seed grown in 1945 by Lester C. Anderson, a Cornell University fruit nutritionist who conducted open pollination research on his various orchards.[1] In 1945, under the direction of A. J. Heinicke, scientists from the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station of Cornell University in Geneva, New York, harvested the Empire seed together with thousands of its siblings.[1] The goal of this program was to develop a disease-resistant apple variety with good flavor and texture. The Geneva teams grew and tested ever dwindling sub-populations of the sibling group until 1966, when the final selection, the Empire, was released to the public at the New York Fruit Testing Association meetings in Geneva.[1] The Empire was named after its home state, New York (the "Empire State").[2]
Empire apples are harvested in early October,[3] after the McIntosh and before the Red Delicious.[1] Though not as easy to grow as the McIntosh,[4] the Empire is a low-maintenance and high-yield variety.[5] Pre-harvest drop rarely occurs.[4]
The original seed was a cross between the McIntosh and Red Delicious varieties.[6] The Empire has tough, chewy, crimson and yellow-green skin,[2] covering its white fresh.[6] It is crisp, sweet, tart, vinous, juicy,[5][7] and is slower to brown than most,[8] making it excellent for snacking and salads,[9] and good for sauce, baking,[10]pies, freezing,[6][11] candies,[12] and savory dishes.[8] Being resistant to bruising, Empire apples are also suitable for lunch boxes.[5][7] In controlled-atmosphere storage, the Empire can last for up to ten months.[2]
In terms of taste and texture, the Empire is comparable to the RubyFrost.[13]
Cultivation
According to the U.S. Apple Association, it is one of the nine most popular apple cultivars in that country.[14] This variety is mostly grown in the Northeast.[1][5] As of the 2020s, well over half of American Empire apples were harvested in New York State. Significant amounts also came from Michigan, and to a lesser extent, California, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.[15]:20
They are also grown on a smaller scale in Canada and the United Kingdom.[2] In Canada, the majority of Empire apples are grown in Quebec and Ontario.[15]:38
Sports patented in the US
By the year 2001, three mutant cultivars (sports) of Empire had received US plant patents. None of them were mutants of mutants:
Date
"Inventor"
Marketed as
Assignee
Earlier
Color
Plant patent number
Mar 10, 1992
Harold F. Teeple, Russel H. Teeple, John B. Teeple
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Geneva, New York, 1945
