Got Apples...?

One of the wonderful things that Mother Nature provides for our use is, you guessed it...apples!

What a comfortable fruit! Good right off the tree, good for storing, and absolutely wonderful for cooking! In fact, I'm having some apple jelly on toast for dessert tonight!

From the pages of the Farmer's Almanac, here is some interesting facts about apples!

Autumn Is for Apples

In Old England, this month was called Haervest-monath (Harvest Month). We like to think of it as the month of homegrown apples.

Almost any apple can be enjoyed when eaten fresh. However, not all apples are ideal for the kitchen. For example, the popular McIntosh might be great for eating off the tree, but its flesh is too tender to hold up to baking in a pie. However, the Cortland apple is a bit firmer than the Mac, so it’s a good choice for pies as well as sauces and salads.

Note: When it comes to cooking with apples, it may be helpful to know the following:

1 pound of apples = 2 large, 3 medium, or 4 to 5 small apples

1 pound of apples = 3 cups peeled and sliced apples

Below is a list with some of the best baking and cooking apples in North America.

NAME

Braeburn
Sauce...Tart, sweet, aromatic...tall shape, bright color

Cortland
Pies, Sauces, Fruit Salad...Tart, crisp...larger than 'McIntosh'

Fuji
Baking...Sweet and juicy, firm... red skin

Gala
Dried, Cider...Mild, sweet, juicy, crisp...yellow-orange skin with red striping (resembles a peach)

Granny Smith
Baking...Moderately sweet, crisp flesh...green skin

Jonagold
Pie, Sauce...Tangy-sweet...Yellow top, red bottom

Jonathan
Sauce...Tart flesh, crisp, juicy...bright red on yellow skin

McIntosh
Sauce...Juicy, sweet, pinkish-white flesh...red skin

Newtown Pippin
Pie, Sauce, Cider...Sweet-tart flesh, crisp...greenish-yellow skin

R.I. Greening
Pie...Very tart, distinctively flavored...grass-green skin, tending toward yellow/orange

Rome Beauty
Baking, Cider...Mildly tart, crisp...greenish-white flesh, thick skin

Winesap
Sauce, Pie, Cider...Very juicy, sweet-sour flavor, winey, aromatic...sturdy, red skin

No matter how you cook them, I love me some good ol' apple pie, apple fritters, apple cake, apple juice, apple dumplings, apple...well, you get the picture!

How about coffee on the patio this morning...with some biscuits and apple jelly?