Hampshire

I’ve been very familiar with Hampshire, even before it was introduced to the world.

That’s because I grew up only a few miles from Gould Hill Farm in Contoocook,

New Hampshire, where the apple originated. It was discovered in 1978 by the late

orchardist, my friend Erick Leadbeater, who discovered it growing as an unknown

seedling. Different sources make different surmises about the neighboring trees in

the block where it was found: Was it a root sprout from a McIntosh tree? A

Cortland? A Red Delicious? All are possible, and since Erick is no longer with us to

set me straight, I’ll just say, it doesn’t really matter.

To me, the apple most resembles a McIntosh, but there are definitely major

differences. For one, the color, which with good solar exposure and ripening

appears a dark reddish purple, making the apple look almost like a gigantic plum.

Another difference is the apple’s tough, thin skin and white, firm, breaking

flesh—when tree-ripe it gives your teeth a workout and seems to snap off in your

mouth.

These differences made Rick think that this might be a unique “chance”

variety, but for several years the only people who could buy it were Gould Hill’s

faithful retail customers. Because its name was unknown, the orchard simply

labeled it as “Brand X” for several years. Finally, though, Cornell University

confirmed through genetic testing that this was indeed a new apple, and in 1994 it

received Plant Variety Protection and Rick started providing it to other nurseries

and growers under the name Hampshire.

If Hampshire had been developed by some university breeding program, no

doubt it would have benefited from lots of marketing hype and money, and would

be found in every supermarket in America. It’s what every store manager thinks the

public wants in an apple: mildly sweet and not too sharp, super-crisp and juicy,

lightly aromatic, multipurpose, a good keeper, and (most importantly these days)

with a flavor that’s straightforward and inoffensive, acceptable to just about

everyone. It never achieved the fame or fortune of Honeycrisp or its many

successors, but Hampshire is today offered for sale through some nurseries and

orchards, and not just in New England. Many people who have discovered this

modern apple have become devoted fans.