All About Apples

We’re fully into Fall now. The leaves are changing colours and the weather is getting crisper and rainier. One of the things that you think about when you think of Fall, when it comes to food at least, is apples! Apples come in so many varieties; there’s more now than ever. I remember before that you’d only really see a few types like Red Delicious, McIntosh, and Granny Smith. For the next few weeks we are going to look at creating things with apples whether it be crafts or food treats. This week though, we are going to take a look at the many different varieties of apples and see what you can do with them and how to find them at the grocery store. 

Apples:

McIntosh: Deep red with green - Juicy, tangy, and tart - Best used for snacking and applesauce -Best months...September through May.

Red Delicious: Stripy red to solid midnight red - Sweet and soft -This is the apple that is most recognized; it’s got the feet at the bottom and tall body and is best used in salads or as a snack but eat it fast as it turns brown fast - Found all year round.

Golden Delicious: Yellow with a pink “blush” sometimes - Mild sweet flavour that’s buttery and honey tasting - Best as a snack, beverages, in pies and crisps but mixed with more tart apples - Found all year round.

Granny Smith: My absolute favourite! Green sometimes with a red blush - Very tart and tangy - Best used for baking but also a good snack if you don’t mind sour - Found all year round.

Gala: Creamy yellow to red and yellow striped and reddish orange - Very sweet, crispy, and juicy - Great for snacking, beverages, baking, and making applesauce. Found all year round.

Fuji: Striped yellow and red - Sweet and firm - Good for snacking, beverages, baking, freezing, and applesauce- Found all year round starting in September. 

Jazz - Orangish red with yellow patches - Sweet, firm, and juicy - Best for snacking and baking - Found all year round.

Pink Lady: Pinkish red with yellow - Sweet, crunchy, and tangy at the same time - Best for snacking and baking - Best months... November to August.

Ambrosia: Yellow pink - Floral aroma, honey flavour, and sweet - Good for snacking, salads, and baking. Best months... September through March.

Honeycrisp: Red over yellow - Crisp, coarse, juicy, and sweet - Good for snacking, beverages, salads, applesauce - Limited supplies starting in September.

Braeburn: Orangey or red over yellow or green - Rich, spicy, juicy, and sweet - Good for snacking, applesauce, salads, and baking. Best months...October through July.

Spartan: Crimson red with green near the top - Soft with bright white flesh, crisp, juicy, tangy. Good for beverages, snacking, baking, and applesauce. Found all year round.

Envy: Reddish with yellow shining through - Sweet and crisp - Good for snacking, salads, and baking - Best months...October to March.

Jonagold: Red with green poking through - Crunchy and sweet with tartness - Best used for snacking, salads, baking, and beverages. Best months...October to July.

Crispin: Green - Sweet, refreshing, and crisp - Best for snacking, baking, sauce, and freezing - Found all year round.

So there you have a list of different apples and what they look and taste like and when they can be found. Coming up next week...we pick some to bake with!