Cameo apples are a relatively new apple, and well worth tasting!

Cameo apples have stormed onto the apples scene in the last few years, and with good reason - the taste! While this apple still isn't easy to find, it is well worth the search.

Selection Information

Usage: The Cameo variety is a hearty, all-around apple with a deep juicy flavor and a crisp crunch that makes it the perfect eating apple.

The Cameo is best when eaten out of hand, but is also good for cooking ? especially soon after harvest when it retains some tart hints to its otherwise sweet character.

Cooking Light magazine ranked Cameo as one of the best apple varieties in its 2002 Apple Pageant!

Selection & Storage: Good-quality Cameo apples will be firm with smooth, clean skin and have good color for the variety. Test the firmness of the apple by holding it in the palm of your hand. (Do not push with your thumb). It should feel solid and heavy, not soft and light.

To store, keep apples as cold as possible in the refrigerator. Apples do not freeze until the temperature drops to 28.5 degrees F.

Avoid: Avoid product with soft or dark spots. Also if the apple skin wrinkles when you rub your thumb across it, the apple has probably been in cold storage too long or has not been kept cool.

Seasonal Information

Fresh Cameo Apples are available from Washington from September through January.

Cameo Apple Nutritional Information

Serving Size: 1 medium apple (154g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 80	Calories from Fat 0
	% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0	0%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 0mg	0%
Total Carbohydrate 22g	7%
Dietary Fiber 5g
Sugars 17g
Protein 0g
Vitamin A 2%	Vitamin C 20%
Calcium 2%	Iron 2%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. Source: PMA's Labeling Facts

Apples are very low in Saturated Fat, Cholesterol and Sodium. They're also a good source of Dietary Fiber and Vitamin C.

Cameo Apple Tips & Trivia

The Cameo variety first caught the attention of apple grower Darrel Caudle, near Wenatchee, Washington in the 1980s. Darrel thought he had planted a Red Delicious tree, but as the tree grew, the apples were different from all the others in his orchard. One taste of the red-and-cream-striped fruit and Darrel knew he had found something very special.

The tree is what is called a "chance seedling" meaning it grew unaided from a seed that carried a unique combination of genes from unknown parents.

Today, all Cameo trees are descended from Darrel's first chance seedling which is still producing fruit in his hillside orchard.

Rub cut apples with lemon juice to keep slices and wedges creamy white for hours.
Store apples in a plastic bag in the refrigerator away from strong-odored foods such as cabbage or onions to prevent flavor transfer.
Apples are the second most important of all fruits sold in the supermarket, ranking next to bananas.
Tens of thousands of varieties of apples are grown worldwide
The history of apple consumption dates from Stone Age cultivation in areas we now know as Austria and Switzerland.
In ancient Greece, tossing an apple to a girl was a traditional proposal of marriage; catching it was acceptance
Folk hero Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman) did indeed spread the cultivation of apples in the United States. He knew enough about apples, however, so that he did not distribute seeds, because apples do not grow true from seeds. Instead, he established nurseries in Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Three medium-sized apples weigh approximately one pound.
One pound of apples, cored and sliced, measures about 4 1/2 cups.
Purchase about 2 pounds of whole apples for a 9-inch pie.
One large apple, cored and processed through a food grinder or processor, makes about 1 cup of ground apple.