Apples to Apples

Sorry if anyone came here thinking we were talking about the board game, (affiliate link)  which is awesome in its own right but I'm talking about real apples baby!

I eat apples every day.  Fall is my favorite time of year because my two favorite apples ever are in their peak form...Honeycrisps and Pink Ladies.  I'm always amazed when people say they've never heard of or tasted either of them.  Scandalous!  I found out all kinds of interesting info about both kinds so if you've never had them and are curious (or you just want to learn something new today), read on!

We have Western Australia to thank for Pink Ladies.  In 1973, they hybridized the Golden Delicious and Lady Williams apples but didn't make their way to the States until the late 1980's.  They're grown mostly on the west coast.  They used to have a much shorter in store season in our part of the woods but I've noticed the past few years I've been able to find them *almost* year round!  Their season is from September through early Spring.  Yeah baby!  Their taste has been described as a tart kick on the first bite with a flood of sweetness.  I love that about them.  I call them "dessert apples" because they're sweet enough to really satisfy a sweet tooth.  I have a friend who said I saved her by turning her on to the Pinks because they subbed her nightly sweet treat 5 out of 7 nights per week.  They're great baking apples because they keep their shape and they're great to use in salads as well.  They can last as long as a month in the fridge but they'll be lucky to make it a week in ours!

Now, onto the Honeycrisps!  They were first produced in 1960 when the honeygold and macoun were cross pollinated at the University of Minnesota but we couldn't get our hands on them until 1990.  (I guess it's becoming clear I like nouveau apples instead of the ones that have been around since the beginning of time.)  Honeycrisps are grown in areas with cooler climates such as Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Minnesota and Washington.  The taste is like a drop kick to the tastebuds...a balance of sweet and tart that will grab your attention.  Their season is short compared to Pink Ladies...from the third week of September to mid-October.  That's right, that means you'd better get your hiney to the store and pick some up because their season is winding down!  You can use them for pies but these can also be used for applesauce as well.  There's a good bet that now that the weather is changing, there's a bag of honeycrisps in the car for 'road food.'

What are your favorite kinds of apples?

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