posted
I *love* Golden delicious apples. Most of the ones I see in the supermarket are green, but the ones I'm talking about are solid yellow and the size of a softball. They are the sweetest apple I've ever had. They're not quite as crisp as some other apples I've had, but they're divine.
I think you can only get them in California, though. Sad.
Posts: 4089 | Registered: Apr 2003
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my advice, FWIW, is to see if there are any farmers' markets near you with a decent apple vendor. Many, maybe most, are like the ones at the market I go to now. Tell them what you like, and they can make suggestions about what apple varieties of their own might come closest in texture and taste.
That was my situation when I did without macouns for a few years. They're still my favorites, maybe for sentimental reasons, but there are plenty of other apples that filled the void quite nicely.
Sndrake, the fresh apple evangelist Posts: 4344 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
apple apple apple apple apple apple apple apple MUSHROOM MUSHROOM! AH! Worm! A worm! Worm it's a worm! Ooooooo it's a worm!
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posted
(Judging from that last post, I'd say it's more likely Telperion's been into the mushrooms than the apples. I can tell. Cuz I saw a TV show about it or something. )
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posted
I MUST send Footy on to my King friends... several soccer fans and one guy who's moving here to the States from England to be with his lady love (awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww)
posted
Fascinating - I couldn't find an entry anywhere for a "Lustre Eldar" apple. Finally, I did come across an entry for "Lustre Elstar" - this is probably the apple variety I bought today.
Unlike the batch of macouns, the Elstars are LESS tart than they are supposed to be. Which is fine with me - puts the apple firmly in the "great snack" range.
Posts: 4344 | Registered: Mar 2003
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quote:Icarus, try peeling an apple and see if you have the same reaction! I'm really curious to know the results.
I want to respond too. I find that the irritation/itchiness is definitely to something in the peel. This also explains why I have a problem with red apples, but not yellow ones.
What I used to do in college was to cut the apples from the dining hall into quarters, sprinkle them with the cinnamon sugar from the shaker kept near the toaster, and then nuke them for about a minute and a half. Semi-baked apples... Posts: 1512 | Registered: A Long Time Ago!
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posted
Oral Allergy Syndrome is more common than it is diagnosed. Many fruits cause reactions in persons who are allergic to the pollens; e.g., apples cause reaction in those allergic to the tree pollen, and melons cross-react with ragweed pollen (same family).
Symptoms range from a mild burning/itchy feeling when eating the raw fruit to full-blown anaphylaxis (rare). Usually the cooked fruit can be handled with ease, although sometimes it may cause abdominal cramping and diarrhea (see above - this is rare, too).
Yozhik, I bet you'd test quite positive on an allergic skin test. Do you have problems with seasonal allergies?
[Cooooool ... Alton Brown has an apple show this am. ]
[ September 12, 2004, 08:04 AM: Message edited by: Sara Sasse ]
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posted
Sara, My oral allergy has noe traveled to my lungs, and it feels like little needles are in them. It is killing me right now,as we have a big apple farm down the road, and it is time for some killer Macs. Waaah.
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Have you seen a professional about this? If you live where your allergy is, you might not just consider medication, but also "allergy shots" to build up tolerance?
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Hell, I’m strange and proud of that fact. But sometimes it just needs reiterating.
quote: Uh, Dag, you ought to look at your post count.
You, my friend, are part of "you people."
(It's night time - I only want to deal with fluff. I'll get back to the serious threads tomorrow.)
I understand. Luck for me, Eve likes strange.
quote:Have you seen a professional about this? If you live where your allergy is, you might not just consider medication, but also "allergy shots" to build up tolerance?
Can allergy tests determine if someone is allergic to cats? I've had some issues, but haven't been exposed enough to know for sure. We want to buy two kittens, but not if it's going to make me wheezy all the time.
posted
Yup. Pinprick test on the skin to look for a local wheal-and-flare reaction. Your insurance may or may not cover it -- the details can be Byzantine -- but your primary care doctor should be able to help and would (likely) be necessary for the referral.
Be aware that allergists tend to be booked ahead for months, so it's worth looking into soon if you want the information before Christmas.
[ September 12, 2004, 09:41 AM: Message edited by: Sara Sasse ]
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posted
Now how did you know that Christmas was in the plans? Although we actually just decided to get fish this Christmas and kitties over the summer when I can be home every night. I want them to like me, too.
Thanks for the info. Off to read up on Eve's health benefits.
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Dags, Good luck getting a Christmas kitten! I think VA is cold enough that they do not breed at that time. Ask a vet, but we had a dickens of a time finding one, and ended up with a ringworm-infested six month old cat that we were told was a twelve week old kitten. She is a dear, sweet, beautiful cat now, but it was not fun when the family got ringworm.
Sara, I am still OK with Granny Smith apples, and I can eat any cooked fruit. It is raw nuts(which I LOVE), peaches, apples, and cherries(the worst). Plums are OK, for some reason.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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Allergy patterns are so odd. It's hard to predict what will happen, which will get worse and what ones may later develop. They are such a source of misery, too.
[ September 12, 2004, 10:08 AM: Message edited by: Sara Sasse ]
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posted
I just have to let y'all know that our baby is now addicted to: Monkey, monkey, monkey, monkey, monkey, monkey, monkey,MUSHROOM,MUSHROOM......after reading this thread last night.
Yaay, Steven! Glad the Elstars turned out to be great, even though the Macouns weren't.
Made a yummy apple pie last night and am now calling it breakfast. *grin*
Posts: 1777 | Registered: Jan 2003
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posted
*comprehension (maybe) about badgers and footies will have to wait until tomorrow, when I am using computers that can handle the stuff on those lines.*
Maybe I'll understand what the heck y'all are talking about after that. Or not.
I'm cool either way.
Christy, why do I keep seeing this sign hanging somewhere in your kitchen? (not that I know what your kitchen looks like)
I intend to copy and paste parts about apple varieties I've tried, along with the recommendations of others, into a master "apple file" for reference during future apple seasons.
We've had a dry season in Illinois - the apples are running very small.
Never heard of them before - turns out they're really popular in England, though. Good apple, even if it's not quite as crisp as I usually like. Manages to be sweet and tangy at the same time, with a slight spicy tang I can't quite pin down. This will probably be my only sampling of them this year - the vendor said last week's batch was the last of the harvest, and mentioned they only have a few trees.
I have some Sweet Sixteens with me as well - they're familiar from last year. Not quite as sweet as a red delicious, and nicely crisp.
Posts: 4344 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
Now I have a craving for apples. What apples make the best apple pie? If I get the house cleaned quickly enough then maybe--MAYBE--I will make a pie for my party. Though my pie-making skills are only so-so. Still, APPLE PIE!!! YUM!!!
Posts: 1805 | Registered: Jun 1999
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Most of the apples I get at the market shouldn't really be called "red" - they're more a mixture of red, yellow, and green (pinkish hues here and there as well).
They have style and flavor!
But to be honest, I don't really care about the style - it's all about taste and texture.
Edit to add: We have a few pie-bakers who've posted on this thread. Hopefully, one of them can help you out with the pie suggestions. Never been a pie baker myself.
posted
I grew up with a 100-tree apple orchard, sndrake. I have definite favorites (The orchard basically died after a particularly bad hail/wind storm, so it is no longer, although I hope to replant it all someday).
Macouns have been my number one favorite for years. Unfortunately, the crop of macouns this year in Illinois are running very tart - to the point where they don't really taste like what I expect from Macouns.
I like Swiss Gourmets and Honeycrisps.
But basically, I like apples ranging from mildly tart to mildly sweet and very crisp. I'm trying to build systematic knowledge of the varieties that meet that profile.
It's a project I should have begun long ago - but I'm having fun with it now. Fun diversion for about 7 weeks each year.
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quote:Christy, why do I keep seeing this sign hanging somewhere in your kitchen? (not that I know what your kitchen looks like)
"PIE: NOT JUST FOR BREAKFAST ANYMORE"
*giggle* I managed to miss that last comment, Stephen! Although my kitchen bears no such adornment, I may just have to remedy that.
Pie apples: I usually use Jonagold and Cortland, but I tried Wealthy this last time. It depends on what you want your pie to be like. The Wealthy broke down so that the apples were mushy and I combined that with some Gala which stayed whole.
We're going to be away this weekend at Karen's and were away last weekend at the Oz fest, so I'm getting worried that I'll run out of apples. *grin*
Karen -- if I can squeeze the time, I'll bake an apple pie for your party!
I use Granny Smiths for pie, but I don't experiment much and have never heard of most of the varieties mentioned in this thread.
Grannys are a little tart eaten as is, which I think balances well against the sugar and spices added to the pie. And they hold up well (at least in my opinion) in baking. I typically pile up to about 3 inches over the rim of the pieplate while uncooked, so that when they cook down I still have a nice dome.
posted
I don't know if anyone answered your question, Sndrake...
the reason cider has trace amounts of protein while apple juice doesn't is that there are bugs in cider, from the frementing process and the way cider is made.
I figured the reason nobody had replied was because they were all in denial - an underrated and much maligned coping mechanism. Posts: 4344 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
I got a bunch of varieties this time at the market - haven't even had time to try to remember and try them all yet.
So far, though...
Red Haralson - but it might also be called a Haralred, I think. Anyway, the taste is nice - tart, but not over-the-top. Tough, not crisp, but still juicy. Not bad.
Holiday - large, really crisp, really juicy. Great mildly tart flavor. Turns out it's a fairly recent hybrid, coming from Macoun and Jonathan parentage.
Sunday I had Holiday apple slices with peanut butter for breakfast. It was yummy. Posts: 4344 | Registered: Mar 2003
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How many varieties are available at the orchard or market you go to? There's a big variety - and it changes each week - at the market I go to on Saturdays.
Two more to review:
Prima - large, almost pinkish apple. Mildly sweet. Decent flavor. Both of which were more or less spoiled for me due to the texture. Very soft and relatively dry - no juice dripping on my hands from this apple. I don't think it's because they're old, these are all pretty fresh apples. Could just be how they're supposed to be.
Melrose - On the small side. Fairly crisp, with an amazingly tough skin. Ideal taste profile for me - mildly tart, a little sweet. Nice apple.
Good news on Macouns - turns out if I only pick out the larger one, I get the taste I'm looking for. It's only the smaller ones that are over the top in their tartness.
Posts: 4344 | Registered: Mar 2003
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There are probably about fifty varieties or so at the orchard we go to. Its amazing how many of the farmers market orchards just sell the common varieties. I haven't heard of either of the two varieties you reviewed.
The Macouns are supposedly really affected by when they are taken off the tree. If they're left on the tree longer they become sweeter.
We just tried Fortune, Sparta, more Honeycrisps and I want to say Fireside, but I'm not sure about that. Fortune is a WONDERFUL apple! Apple cider in an apple with a medium texture. The skin is a bit tough, but it was well worth it for the goodness inside.
What I remember as the fireside is a small keeper apple, but I haven't tried that one yet.
We also got some Macintosh for pies, which I don't usually do, but it made a good pie.
Only one more good weekend left for apples up here. Posts: 1777 | Registered: Jan 2003
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I'm in Rochester, NY and passed up some Fortunes when we went to the orchard yesterday.
I branched out and tried a few new ones last week - have to get my notes upstairs later. But one I remember is the Cameo - nice little apple, crisp, with a tart and mildly sweet flavor.
I think the apple crop here in upstate NY is maybe a little behind the Southern Illinois apples I've been getting at home. The [i]macouns[/1] looked kinda green.
Have snacked twice so far on triscuits, ultra sharp cheddar and cider. Yummm....
The sound of the triscuits crunching drowns out the sound of my arteries clogging.
Keepsake apples are kinda lumpy and small, but are of the crisp, juicy, and sweet/tart variety.
If you have a real sweet tooth, the honey gold would be your apple. Absolutely the sweetest apple I've ever tasted. It's crossed with a golden delicious and something else.
I'm still in Rochester. I converted my 5-year-old nephew into being an apple fan. He decided he didn't like apples some time back, but decided to try a slice of what I was eating since I obviously enjoyed it.
A slice of a honeycrisp apple won him over - not just because it was sweet, but because of the juiciness. (He has decided that they are better without peanut butter, though.)
And I discovered that my 16-month-old niece has already discovered the power of cheese.
She gobbled down a few slivers of my sharp cheddar with glee.
Time to do laundry followed by packing. Back home tonight.
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posted
I had a winesap the other day that just had exquisite flavor. The texture was slightly more granular than I like, but not bad at all. I had something else too, that was even better, but the name escapes me, frustratingly enough. Red something-or-other. More tart than either a Jonathan or a Winesap. I'm going back to that farmer's market tomorrow, so I should be able to find out (and get a big sack of them) then.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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posted
So how do you eat your apples? I take it that sndrake is a slicer, and likes to put stuff on them. I prefer to eat mine whole (a bite at a time, mind you) at room temperature or slightly warmer (as from hanging from their trees in the late afternoon sun).
Anybody else had pets that like apples? When I was very small we had a dog that loved apples. She was a german shepherd, and pretty much took care of all the windfall apples under our trees. She also liked grapes, which was a bit of a pain, since she could reach the grape vines with no problem, and would often go along the row of vines devouring all the grapes before we could harvest them.
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Seems like a natural semantic glitch to me. Keepsakes are often arranged around the fireside, after all.
Noemon,
I eat most of my apples the way you do. Bite by bite at room temperature. Sometimes, though, when I need something more substantial I'll do the peanut butter thing for breakfast or a snack - it adds protein and fat to the carbs, fiber and water in the apples. And it tastes great.
I brought out the slices with my nephew simply because I know this 5-year-old pretty well. He's not a voracious eater. A slice of an apple looks a whole lot less daunting than a whole one, even if you tell him he doesn't have to eat the whole thing. Offering a slice instead of a whole apple was a pretty big factor in his decision to go ahead and try.
Haven't had any pets that seemed crazy about apples, but I doubt your dog is the only one out there with a craving for fruit. Posts: 4344 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
Mostly I eat mine whole and refrigerated, but I am also known to slice with an apple corer and spread peanut butter on top. I also love caramel apples and usually dip a few once during the season. I make applesauce, but haven't this year and I usually make two or three pies which I may top this year. Posts: 1777 | Registered: Jan 2003
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posted
I love to core a nice, tart apple bake it, and eat it plain. The apple itself is fairly good, but the syrup that develops from it is one of the most delicious things I've ever tasted. Other people like to pack the empty core space with spices, nuts, raisins, and butter, I know, but I prefer mine plain.
The dog loved apples and grapes, but she hated peaches. If you threw her a peach she'd catch it, let it drop, and look very offended. An apple would mollify her though.
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