Crisp · Juicy · Sweet
The Empire apple is a 20th-century triumph of applied pomology. Its story begins in 1945 at the Hudson Valley orchard of Lester C. Anderson, a Cornell University fruit nutritionist conducting open-pollination research. From 4,000+ seeds from McIntosh and Red Delicious parents, breeders narrowed selections through decades of evaluation.
Dr. Roger Way ultimately identified seedling NY 45500-5 as the one worth releasing. He named it Empire, in honor of New York's nickname as the Empire State. It was officially introduced in 1966 — a full 21 years after the original cross.
By 1996, New York growers were producing 110 million pounds of Empires annually. The Empire remains among the top ten most popular apple cultivars in the United States today.
Good, especially in mixed-variety recipes. The Empire bakes better than its McIntosh parent — it holds its shape more reliably. For a structured pie filling, pair with a firmer variety such as Golden Delicious or Pippin.
