Milwaukee

Milwaukee originated on the farm of George Jeffrey in Milwaukee, Wisconsin around 1890.  DNA profiling has shown it to be a seedling of the cold-hardy, Russian apple, Duchess.  The pollen parent is still unknown. It was first grown in commercial orchards around 1899. This very rare variety is considered to be an endangered variety by the Wisconsin chapter of Slow Food (Slow Food WiSE) which has “adopted” the Milwaukee varietal due to its ties to the region and its exceptional taste.  WiSE is undertaking a program to bring the apple back to the Milwaukee area.

Milwaukee resembles Duchess but is more oblate in shape. It ripens in central Maine at about the same time as Duchess—early-mid September. For years we confused Milwaukee with the iconic Blue Pearmain because of a mis-labeled map in a nearby orchard. (We should have known better.) More recently we confused Milwaukee with the Androscoggin-County, Maine apple, Deane.  The historic phenotypic description of Milwaukee does resemble that of Deane, and Deane and Milwaukee may be synonyms. Many young people from that part of Maine went to Wisconsin and Minnesota to work in the lumbering industry once the large trees in Maine were mostly cut.  It’s possible that scionwood went out (and back) with the young loggers.  It’s another of those apple mysteries we need to sort out.

Its yellowish-white flesh has a pleasant, tart, green apple flavor.  This flavor may be too tart for fresh eating by those who prefer a sweet apple.  However, like it's famous parent, it is very good for cooking and makes a great pie. It holds its shape when baked and is lovely sliced thin and paired with a sharp cheese.