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Apples: Take 'Em or Leave 'Em?

20080920inseason-apples2.jpg

Photograph by static-photo on Flickr

"I don't really like apples. Does that make me unpatriotic? Am I a real American?"

—Amanda Hesser, on Twitter

Make it apple pie, Amanda, and I think we'd have you on the next plane to Gitmo, but plain ol' apples, I sorta hear you. The regular supermarket variety are often flavorless, so why bother? But great heirloom varieties that are in season? Yum.

What do you think, serious eaters? Who's pro-apple and who's anti-apple? As evidenced above, I'm taking a centrist stance here.

59 Comments:

I grew up in LA, so I consider apples peasant food. Why get excited about apple season when they're so readily available all year 'round? I'd much rather sink my teeth into a peach, plum, grape, avocado (*drool*), melon, loquat, or citrus of any kind (grapefruit doesn't count: it's so bad it should be a vegetable).

I'm going to school right now in upstate NY, and I can't understand the excitement over "apple season." Why is it even apple season when we can get apple any time of the year, even here?

I don't like apples, it's a texture thing... brrr.

I live in Merced, CA. All of the apples I eat, I either get from the farmer's market, from the organic section of the supermarket, or from my CSA (which are organic, and probably heirloom). They are all delicious. ^^

But the other day, I picked up a "generic" apple that my university was giving out for free, from a fruit basket. It was not tasty at all. :(

Apples are very convenient to eat on-the-go; sometimes I keep one in my bag as "emergency food". But back at home, I like to cut them into eights (sometimes 16ths), scoop up some peanut butter with each slice, and enjoy. This is delicious, and even better than celery & peanut butter in my opinion.

So yeah, rah for apples.

I like green apples, especially with peanut butter, chocolate, nutella, or honey. But I'm not a big fan of most red apples.

I gotta be honest. I'm not much for apples. Or apple pie.

As a kid, I didn't really like ANY fruit. Apples were especially icky cause they left my teeth feeling "chalky" or something. I've grown to love other fruits, but apples and pears....not so much.

I love apples. I'm from upstate NY.

Growing up we only had Red Delicious and Fuji apples around and I kind of hated them. But I've since discovered the Gala and Honeycrisp and Pink Lady which are great. I still don't really like just eating them whole though...gotta peel and slice them.

OH! Feel the need to mention, Jelly Belly Red Apple flavor are my absolute favorites!

Love 'em - Granny Smith & Jonagold are two of my favorites - recently tried Honeycrisp and was impressed.

I recently tried Honeycrisp apples too! They had samples of them at the local Kroger. I think I found my new favorite food and I wasn't even an apple fan...

Depends on the apple. Honeycrisp, Fuji, Pink Lady and Gala are tasty but the cardboard apples at the grocery store shouldn't be allowed on the apple playground.

Macs are too sour and make people gassy (my brother lived on them as a kid; no one wanted to set foot in his room). Granny Smiths are good for cooking but too, too tart to eat out of hand! My favorite is Red Delicious, and I squeeze them between thumb and forefinger to see if they "give" or "crunch". If not, they're mine. (If they do, they're too old anyway).

I love apples! Jonathans straight from the orchard are the taste of fall for me.

It's almost impossible to find decent apples in the supermarket these days. Even the Macintosh apples are usually garbage. I've had far too many tasteless, mealy apples of any variety to buy them from big stores anymore. (How come they taste so awful, anyway??) But one variety I discovered many years ago, which are difficult to find, is the Mutsu apple. Crisp, juicy, sweet and big...Yum. Off the beaten path, but worth the extra effort to find them.

I am an absolute, die-hard, twice-a-day apple lover. Any variety, any time of year (although I've recently discovered that Honeycrisps in peak season from the farmer's market are FoodGod's gift to man). Maybe that makes me SUPER patriotic... but probably just a little crazy. =)

Growing up in the vast nothingness that was(and for that matter still is )Roswell N.M., I always looked forward to fall as my grandmother, and uncles would take me,and make our yearly trip to the Hondo valley to buy apples, that my grandmother would can as apple halves, apple sauce,and apple butter, using all of these over the coming year for a variety of recipes, the best of which was her apple pie, lots of cinnamon, and the bottom crust was always layered with a thick coat of bread crumbs toasted in butter, those crumbs would soak up the juices ,and were the best part of the pie!.

Breaburn. Said and done. You can't F with that S.

i adore apples from the greenmarket in season. i enjoy the pink ladies and honeycrisp but would kill for a bramley. i discovered them at sainsbury's in england. they're sour enough to turn your mouth inside out. the british use them strictly for cooking as they are incredibly hard and unpleasantly tart, unless you like that sort of thing. which i do.

i'm indifferent to supermarket apples, and rarely buy them except to make applesauce for latkes.

I love apple butter and apple sauce in cakes and I make apple pie which fresh is great. I do not eat apples. I do however eat Healthy natural no sugar added apple sauce for fiber. I also give apple to my dogs for their teeth. We used to buy the best apples at Costco. Then even though they were expensive they got mealy all the time thats when I switched us to apple sauce. Longer shelf life and I can grab a pack and not worry about it.
http://www.motts.com/Products/AdultHealthyAndEnhanced/MottsHealthyHarvestSauce.aspx
These are cheaper than apples. I get 6 in a pack for 1.18 which equals 6 apples. No fuss no muss no mealy apples.

I absolutely love apples. I can eat a bushel by myself in one day, I think, if i really put my mind to it. I'm particular to red apples, though; Red Delicious, mostly. I get them at the local Farmer's Market.

As a Washington state native, apples are my life. Best kind: Golden Delicious, by far.

I have lived with the king of fussy apple eaters for 39 years, and I've almost never been able to bring home an apple he likes: too tart, too sweet, not crisp enough (the worst sin). Now I collect apples from the farmers' market and our friends' trees, and then I add about half as many pears of various sorts and half dozen quince, cut them all in quarters or eighths, throw them and the juice of 6 or so lemons into the 13 qt Le Creuset on simmer, and walk away for 4-5 hours. This all gets put into Weck canning jars - they stack really well - and popped into the freezer for the winter. He's happy, and I don't have to strive to match a childhood memory of the perfect apple.

I love a good apple, especially when they're in season (and I'm in Texas, so that season's long :D). I have a friend, though, who likes to eat the core...I don't like them *that* much.

Granny Smith and Gouda. Do it.

As a kid, I only ate the skin of Red Delicious.

I have always loathed mealy MacIntoshes, apple juice, and although I would eat virtually any sweet as a child, apple flavored things were fairly low on my sugar totem pole.

In h.s. I went through a 'Green Apple' phase. Then, during my diety girl phase, I ate several of them, daily for years--Fuji, Pink Ladies were my fav.

But I began to have digestive issues--my stomach would swell uncomfortably whenever I ate an apple. I find I feel much healthier eating grapes and berries on a daily basis, and although I know apples' fiber make it diet-friendly and filling, I think other fruits and vegetables are more nutrient-dense.

Does anyone remember the 'green apple' Jolly Rancher phase in grade school?

I enjoy Fuji, Pink Ladies, Gala apples.

As a kid I hated apples until I had my first one of these, Red Delicious are so... chalky. These don't tend to be as sweet when you find a good Red Delicious I suppose, but even the apples that aren't so great are still tasty.

In general, I like apples and always have, though there are varieties I don't care for -- Golden Delicious, for example. I think apples are like a lot of other things, what you get at the grocery often isn't really good (though it doesn't mean they're bad either), but locally grown, in season can be a delight. I'm currently hooked on honeycrisp and have one daily.

I'm weary of eating for nutrient density. I just eat a variety of real foods. Seems to work -- and has worked for centuries.

I love Pink Lady, Braeburn and Fuji apples. Red Delicious suck all the moisture from my mouth and Granny Smith make my teeth heart--and give me agita. I will not, under ANY circumstances, eat an apple pie/cake/food with cooked apples. They are almost as gross as cooked RAISINS *gag*.

I was born in New Jersey, and spend much of my childhood in London. I'm back in NJ and in school in PA--and every Friday we have this Amish farmer's marker down one of the main streets downtown. Their apples are incredible--more expensive than the grocery store, not shiny, and irregularly shaped. They're also YUMMY.

I LOVE apples. The only ones I don't eat are red and gold delicious. Also, I like them "as is". I have never liked cooked apples in any form. Or bananas for that matter.

Apples, along with strawberries, are nature's most perfect foods.

i suppose i consider myself bipartisan when it comes to that issue. they're okay - not my favorite fruit by far (fresh pineapple), but they'll do, especially when they are honeycrisps.

There are few things better than a nice, ripe, juicy, sweet apple. Honeycrisps are where it's at.

Give me Gala and a side of Jif crunchy peanut butter!

@markemorse: I will do it! Apples and cheese are perfect together.

Moved to a fairly rural town this year and my apple eating has skyrocketed. There are two orchards within five miles and I've been eating local Empires, Winesaps and Braeburns out of hand and cooking with Northern Spies and Granny Smiths. Actually, I'm making an apple crisp in, uhm, three hours.

I've always loved apples. My parents really can't figure out why, but when I go home, they always have some apples in the fruit bowl for me.

Cameo when available. Gala always.

i love apples!!! braeburn and honeycrisp with a big slice of sharp cheddar cheese....yummy! i think that's what i'll have for breakfast!

If the apple isn't super crisp and juicy, it gets cooked or tossed.

If it's sour, I spread it with crunchy peanut butter. I can get Fuji and Granny Smiths with no problem. Always on the lookout for Honey Crisp, Pink Lady, and now, thanks to CanadaPat, Mutsu.

I love all cooked apple dishes. Also love apple cider, but not apple juice.

I love going to apple orchards, not only for the yummy ciders, doughnuts, etc, but to experience the types of apples not usually available in grocery stores. Mutsu apples have been my favorite for years now and they're not available many places. mmmm.

On the other hand? Red delicious, golden delicious, etc? Hate those.

I absolutely LOVE apples! All kinds, and just about anything made with them.

I am glad to know that I'm not the only person who's kind of "eh" on apples. I'll eat them, but they're among my least favorite fruits. Really crisp Braeburns are fantastic, but I have to be in the mood, and I won't touch a Red Delicious with a ten-foot pole. I think I ate too many icky mealy ones at school growing up, and now they are dead to me.

That said, apple crisps/turnovers/butter/juice/cider? Bring it. I love that stuff. Go figure!

The best apple is the Macoun, which is actually seasonal and available only in the Northeast. They are what MacIntosh aspires to. If you can find one, try it!!

After eating only red and golden delicious apples as a child, I had a strong aversion to eating apples. I recall them as being tasteless and mealy. Delicious they were not. Yuck! Once I entered college and had control over the grocery shopping, I started expanding my horizons with apples. I can proudly say that I eat at least one apple a day. I'll eat any apple as long it is crisp and juicy although I still refuse to touch a "delicious" variety . As weird as this sounds, I love a peanut butter, apple, and crisp bacon sandwich. I find the combination of sweet, salty, tart, savory, crispy, and crunchy quite tasty.

Oh god, I love apples so much. Gala, Braeburn, Fuji, Empires, Honeycrisps, Macouns, Jonagolds, and McIntoshes. No red delicious, it's quite tasteless and I think I ate too many bad ones as a child.

@esmeralda: I do that too! PB+Apples+bacon = win. I sometimes do thin sliced granny smiths on a croissant with honey mustard, proscuitto, and brie. toasted, and the brie melts into a hot pool of delicious.

The only apples I really like are honeycrisp. I don't like the grainy, mealy texture and tartness of most apples.

Braeburns are good this time of year (not so much other times)
Below is a link to a "Good Food" KCRW (L.A.) podcast.
The podcast starts with the "Market Report" (Santa Monica Farmer's Market), beginning with an interview with an heirloom apple purveyor (pictures too). Interesting, if you're into apples.
http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/gf/gf081004vertical_farming_ste

I respect everyone's opinion but not liking apples- really!? I LOVE them! Literally eat one every day for breakfast. They are perfect food. This time of year you can get all the beautiful heirloom varieties... I love Arkansas Blacks if you can find them. Hooray for apples!

Apple pizza for dessert tonight made w Honeycrisps-my first try at both the apple pizza and the Honeycrisps. A perfect success, Yum !

@usinda

There are few things I hate worse than a mealy apple. I think that's what turned me off of apples for so long.

Honeycrisps brought me back though. They have a perfect combination of tartness (not as sour as the granny smith), crisp texture (I have yet to have a mealy honeycrisp), and lots of juice.

I managed to extricate myself from my Saturday morning coma and brought home a delicious honeycrisp from the farmers market. Yum! The apple has to be worth eating. Mealy apples can turn me off of apples for weeks.

I only like apples that are so hard they are green inside. They must also be super super cold. A warm mealy apple is .....ugh no thanks!

cybercita, please, don't eat COOKING apples raw, as we Brits have a perfectly legitimate reason for having cookers and eaters!

I live in NH, where apple orchards abound. Its apple season here and no apple you get at the supermarket is anything at ll like the ones you just pick off the tree at the height of the season. I love to chomp on big, juicy, slightly tart Mac's right off the tree while I'm picking.

You can get just about every fruit and vegtable all year long all over the country, but none of them will be as good as just picked in season and local. An out of season far-travellled apple tastes just as bland as the same type of tomato tastes awful. Living in NH, I will only eat fresh tomatoes 3 weeks in August, grown locally. Well, usually. UgliFruit Tomatoes from Florida, if you can find them, are good go-to's the rest of the year. But that's IT. Same idea with apples.

I lurve apples - Gala and Pink Lady especially! I ate tons of apples while I was pregnant with my daughter - and now, coincidentally enough, she loves sliced Galas. For a diabetic, it's a great, low glycemic-index fruitl.

I love the way apples taste, but alas, I'm allergic. I rather enjoy breathing, so no apples for me. It makes me sad, but I've learned to live without.

i grew up in vermont, so of course i love apples. because the apples were awsome. here in louisiana, there are tons of fruits that flourish, but sadly, not apples. so the apples are from far off, distant supermarket superfarms. and kind of suck.

my grandpa had three trees, and each looked completely different, and grew totally different apples. one was very sweet and multicolored, one wad dark, dark, red and hard as a rock, and one grew good sour apples, like granny smiths, but always oddly shaped.

The only apples I will eat are ones that are grown on my property or a property that I know what is going on agriculturally. The apple is a fruit that requires an incredible amount ot treatment to make the apple come out pretty good. So the ones that are sold in the stores have been treated with "things" throughout the year. Fungicides and pesticides mostly but lots of these chemicals all through the yearly cycle. Now there some, not many, organic apple growers out there and it is a tough job to get apples that consumers will want to buy. People who grow their own apples get used to the fact that many of them are ugly and just cut away the ugly or scabby parts. Most commercially grown apples have the dickens sprayed out of them to make them look pretty in the store. BUT, the truth be known that they are not the healthiest apples you can eat. They also can travel MILES in trucks that are treating the apple with gases to make them ripen while keeping them from spoiling. Brings new meaning to the phrase "American as apple pie."

Don't like apples?? DON'T LIKE APPLES?? I don't understand! I'm going to get all Jonagold on somone's ass!

Go buy a honeycrisp and prepare to have your life changed!

Oh I'm from the U.P. of michigan
and apples here are a delight
we bake them, saute them
stuff them and braise them
one way or another each night

The apple is held is high esteem
It's a red & gold jewel
So tart you'll drool
Their diversity is un-paralleled
Jonagold, Fiji, and translucents I've held
They are perfection in every bite!

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