The name "liberty" comes from this New York apple's freedom from disease.  It is also part of the tradition for apples introduced by the Geneva, New York agricultural station to be named for various cities in New York State.  

Liberty apples are medium-sized with a dark red striations over a sometimes barely visible yellow background. The skin is speckled with small yellow lenticels, contributing to the overall flavor of the apple. Its yellow-toned flesh is crisp and juicy with a fine-grain texture. The liberty apple is sweet like a McIntosh, yet more tart and has a flavor profile very much its own including some hints of citrus and melon.

Serving Ideas

Liberty apples are considered good dessert apples. Slice them thinly and layer in a tart or apple pie.  Dice liberty apples to add to muffins or toss in a chicken salad.  Make a sweet-tart applesauce or bake the apples with cinnamon and nutmeg. Liberty apples keep well into the winter when put into cold storage.

Geography/History

The liberty apple was designed to be disease resistant and highly productive by the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station (NYSAES) in 1978.  It is considered to be a "McIntosh-style" apple and is descended from the Macoun apple.   Researchers from NYSAES took a McIntosh apple an apple from Purdue, Indiana called malus floribunda (a Japanese flowering crab apple) and cross-bred them in 1955. After Much testing and selective growing, the liberty was born.  Liberety apples are grown in Oregon and in New York.

Seasons/Availability

Liberty apples are available in the fall and are considered a 'late harvest' apple.