Favorite Apples (Question #70)
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It’s apple season and I LOVE it. I’d been holding back on buying apples both because there were no organic apples available and the regular ones at the store were a crazy high price. I was feeling quite apple deprived, especially since I had bought the wonderful treat of Gjetost cheese and I NEEDED apples to go with it.
Finally a friend of mine called to say that the apples in her orchard were ready to be picked! I grabbed my bags and ran to her house (okay, I drove) and started picking. She sliced some samples for me to try and I’m pretty sure there were tears of apple joy running down my face. Mmm, they were so good. I was most excited because Gala apples are my favorite, and her Gala tree was the tree ready to be picked! I brought home loads (for only $0.75/pound!!!!). We’ve been eating apples to our hearts content. LOVE GALA APPLES!!!
A few days later, I was able to go pick more apples (red delicious, I believe) from another friend’s tree. She didn’t charge me a thing…in fact she gave us TWO jars of jelly as a THANK YOU for taking the apples off her hands. Um, you’re welcome?
THEN, we got another phone call and went and picked apples for free again. There are so many apples in my house, we are tripping over them.
I love tripping over apples. Seriously. Apple season is awesome!!
I’ve shared some bags with others…and I’ve used my dehydrator to make apple rings…
I am now in the process of working through all the bags and making applesauce. I’m hoping this weekend to can a bunch of apple pie filling. If I get that done, I’ll be sure to share pictures and a recipe!!
My question for you today is…what is your favorite variety of apple? My favorite is by far Gala…but Pink Lady and Honey Crisp are also nice. Then of course there’s Yellow Delicious and Empire…
It’s a little hard to decide! What’s your pick?
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We are planning to plant apple trees this fall if I can just get to it. So we’ve been trying every variety out there. So far we love Empire best for eating out of hand. Winter Banana is pretty good, too. I’d like to plant some Calville Blanc d’Hiver for cooking apples. Not sure yet what to plant for applesauce.
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My fave by far are MacIntosh!
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I just came to see if you had any good apple recipes to use for the 40 lbs of apples we picked today. We must be on the same wavelength!! We didn’t get our apples free but for 99 cents/lb it wasn’t a bad deal at all! DH is in the process of making an apple pie and I plan to make applesauce for sure! I can’t wait to see the recipe you have for apple pie filling (if you decide to share!). Love your blog!!
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I am from Michigan, so my absolute, without a doubt, favorites are MacIntosh! Oh, I’m drooling just *thinking* about them. However, here in Utah it’s extremely difficult to find Macs as they bruise very easily. They have *THE* best flavor when they are picked fresh, but they do not keep for long at all! (I eat them up too quickly to worry about that though! ;O)
I love apple season. We were so pleased this last week on our trip to Costco to find organic apples back again! The first apples of the season – they sure are a treat and make you glad you waited. I can’t wait for my friend’s trees to be ready. Sure wishing I had my own land right now… :O)
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Jonathon are a favorite handed down by my precious Grandma! She said they always made the best pies! They also make pretty pink applesauce. Along with Jonathon, I love Cortland, Macintosh and Yes, I love Gala for eating! Fuji is also a really good, sweet, eating apple! Have a fun apple week!
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I think I might love every apple in its season but red delicious. I remember craving galas with my fourth pregnancy =) Enjoy!
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I like every apple except Red Delicious. I think Macintosh are my favorites, but I like Rome, and Gala, and Pink Lady, and sometimes Granny Smith. :) I got a bushel of seconds at a local organic orchard and made 12qt. of applesauce for less than $10. Next week I go for Gala to slice and freeze. After that, I’ll get Macintosh to dry. I LOVE apple season!
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Hubby likes Granny Smiths. I’m partial to Pink Ladies, Honey Crisps, and Ida Reds. The kids will eat any kind!
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I just don’t like Red Delicious. Last time we picked apples we got MacIntoshes. I’m hoping to go tomorrow and pick more.
As for apple pie recipes – I use the spice-smeared copy found in my Betty Crocker cookbook.
I also make apple butter and applesauce using my crockpots. And we have a handy clamp-on apple peeler which makes going through many bags of apples easier.
There’s an apple orchard where we used to pick where they give you plastic bag liners for 5 gallon buckets. With two teenage boys, you can pick a serious amount of apples.
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My very favorite apple is Gala. I have 8 huge bags sitting in my kitchen just waiting for me to make applesauce and apple jelly. YUM…once you’ve had REAL applesauce how can you ever go back? Oh my, oh my, the apple jelly, it is bit of work but oh so worth it. I love Gala apples to make my applesauce with because I don’t have to use any sweeteners at all. Mom made the apple jelly last year so she used sugar, but this year I’m going to try honey granules.
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Golden Delicious are by far my favorite! I don’t mind gala either! there aren’t many i don’t like, but i don’t particulary care for red delicious and granny smith. i like a sweet apple!
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I love all types of apples, so I am not sure I have a favorite due to taste, but free ones sure taste good. I am going to go out to me tree today and pick a bunch. I am thinking of trying drying apples and maybe make sauce again this year.
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We are big fans of Sweet 16′s. We’re from Minnesota, though, where it seems lots of great apple varieties come from (thank you, University of MN!). The orchard we went to yesterday had unfortunately suffered terribly in a 10 minute hail storm early in the summer, so their apples are quite dinged up. We were glad, since the price was lower, but they are suffering, surely.
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I like pink ladies, fujis, winter banana and galas. But my faves are ginger golds, which are just in season now! We live in the self-proclaimed apple capital of the world, so there are so very many varieties from which to choose!
Used to be we were all fujis, but now my kids are total apple snobs. They go through phases of what they really like.
Each year at Christmas the boys get to pick one food item for the day. One of my sons picks a specific variety of apple each year.
Last year I canned apple sauce, apple butter, apples packed in light syrup for apple cake, apple juice and peach apple salsa. Can’t wait to get to it all again this year!
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Don’t forget you can use the peels and cores to make apple peel jelly. Boil 6c peels/cores to 2-3c water, strain, add desired sweetness and boil until thickened. Apple peels/cores have a natural pectin that it should thicken and set, if not thickening add pectin.
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