It’s apple picking season! I always feel like I need a little refresher each year on which apples are best suited for which purpose. So I put together this quick apple variety guide to reference whenever I forget. Which are best in pies or applesauce? Which are best eaten raw? I chose 8 popular varieties that are commonly found in the produce section of most grocery stores and in abundance at farmer’s markets in the fall. Read more after the jump.
8 POPULAR VARIETIES OF APPLES + HOW TO ENJOY THEM
1| Fuji – a cross between Red Delicious and Rawls Jennet apples, can very large in size, extra sweet and juicy, all-purpose apples that can be baked, cooked, or eaten raw, one of the best eating apples
2| McIntosh – sweet and tart white flesh, small to medium in size, perfect for baking, cooking, and eating raw, good in pies
3| Golden Delicious – thin-skinned, sweet, smooth texture; wonderful cooked into pies and sauces, also great raw
4| Jonathan – great balance of flavor and texture, good for cooking and eating, one of the best all around apple varieties
5| Honeycrisp – exceptionally sweet and juicy, the ultimate eating apple, fantastic cooked and baked too
6| Braeburn – sweet with notes of spices, all-purpose apple suited for baking, cooking, and eating
7| Gala – one of the most popular apple varieties, sweet and mild flavored, thin skin, great cooked or raw
8| Granny Smith – very tart apple best suited for baking and cooking, but also great raw
MUST-TRY APPLE RECIPES
Favorites from Cafe Johnsonia:
Gluten-Free Apple Pecan Oat Bars
Roasted Butternut and Apple Salad with Thyme Vinaigrette
Brandied Apple Pie
Apple Chutney
Caramel Apple Gingerbread Upside Down Cake
Loaded Raw Kale Salad
Roasted Butternut, Apple, Cranberry Bake
Pork Tenderloin with Thyme-Fennel Spice Rub and Cider Cream Sauce
Favorites from other sites:
How To Dehydrate Apples from Barefoot In The Kitchen
How To Saute Apples from Oh My Veggies
Apple Crumb Cake from Bless This Mess
Sweet Potato Quesadillas with Goat Cheese and Apples from Hello Natural
Apple Butternut Squash Leek Gratin from Kitchen Treaty
Gluten-Free Apple Puff Pancake from My Gluten-Free Kitchen
Apple Quince Tart with Gluten-Free Buckwheat Crust from Bojon Gourmet
Which variety is your favorite variety and apple recipe?
2 Comments
This is so perfect and now I need you to come down and help me identify the apples we have in our neglected orchard. I think I have a grafted tree with two varieties on it too! I’ve been selling them at the farmer’s market and have no idea what to tell people they are… oh well!
This is just what I needed! Every time I want to bake an apple pie, I can never decided what apples to choose. They all look so good at the store. :)