The Dark Apple Variety That Will Elevate Fall And Winter Treats

Although there's a lot of hullabaloo in the culinary world around summer and its plethora of gastronomic gifts — including sweet corn, juicy tomatoes, and fragrant peaches (via PBS) — it's pretty hard to beat fall with a stick. From warming cold-weather drinks to pumpkin spice everything to, of course, piles of Halloween candy, autumn, too, offers its fair share of edible delights. Cold-weather produce is nothing to sneeze at, either, with delicious fruits and vegetables such as winter squash, cranberries, and pears rounding out our fall and winter meals (via Country Living). And perhaps the most eagerly anticipated fall crop of all is sweet, crunchy, and juicy apples.

Although available year-round, apples are typically harvested in the fall, and they taste better during the autumn months because the sugars within the fruit are at their peak (via University of Utah). It's no wonder, then, that we tend to employ the fruit in all manner of fall and winter dishes, from an apple harvest salad to a classic apple crisp. And if you're looking to stock your larder with something more exciting than the average Granny Smith or Red Delicious, you'll want to know about a tasty, crimson-skinned apple variety.

Have you ever bitten into a Black Oxford apple? If you have, the fruit likely made an impression: One of the darkest-skinned apple varieties out there, according to Salt Spring Apple Co., Black Oxfords aren't quite "black," but they do have a dark, crimson skin that contains dense, crisp, and juicy flesh boasting a nice balance of sweetness and tartness.

Coming onto the market in the next few days, Black Oxfords trace their roots to 1790s Maine, where their seedlings were originally discovered by Revolutionary War veteran Nathaniel Haskell. According to Minnetonka Orchards, the apple variety is great for snacking on as well as incorporating into classic fall desserts such as apple pie and spiced apple cake.

Something that's special about Black Oxfords, Minnetonka Orchards notes, is their longevity: Nicknamed "rock" due to how well they store, the apples can keep upwards of three months in the refrigerator. So if you see some in a store near you, stock up and you can snack and bake all fall and winter long.