Also listed as ‘Maiden’s Blush’, this apple is one of our oldest and most revered
American varieties. (Note: There is an unrelated English variety, and a couple of
others, with the same name.) It was first mentioned by the famous pomologist
William Coxe in 1817 as having been introduced by Samuel Allinson, Esq. of
Burlington, New Jersey. But the variety was known and listed in some nursery
catalogs even before that date.
The name comes from the apple’s beautiful and striking appearance – a
waxy, smooth, lemon-yellow skin flushed on the sun side with bright reddish pink.
(These were in the days before selfies and social media, when presumably there
were more maidens who were capable of blushing.)
For many years Maiden Blush was an important variety in the Middle
Atlantic states and the southern Appalachians. It proved suitable for fresh eating, as
a tart apple when tree-ripe, but also as a useful culinary and cider fruit. But it was
most famous for its superior quality when dried. Drying apples was for many years
an important means of preserving large quantities of fruit for later use or export,
and the tender flesh of Maiden Blush dries spectacularly well, with the rings
retaining their bright white color. I can attest to this myself: I’ve sought out this
apple and dehydrated it for many years, and it remains one of my all-time
favorites.