Apples and More Apples

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” This old saying is probably truer

than we would like to admit but who really sticks to this routine of eating one a day? A medium-sized apple, approximately 80 calories, is recommended daily. Eat the apple with the peeling on because fiber intake is even more important as we grow older!

There are many different kinds of Virginia-grown apples and August,

September and October are the months when these apples are abundant in our state.

The Gala and Ginger Gold apples were available in Virginia in August with Gala being available in most grocery stores year round. The Gala apple is my favorite for eating fresh because of its sweet, light texture. The Ginger Gold apple is sweet, yet tart and crispy.

September brought in the Empire, Golden Delicious, Ida red, Jon gold and Red Delicious. I always favored eating fresh the Golden Delicious until I discovered Gala apples. I think Golden Delicious apples get a mealy texture when sold in bags during the rest of the year but Gala apples keep their crispness.

The Empire apple is sweet and crisp. Fresh Virginia Golden Delicious apples are sweet, mellow and excellent for all uses. I have never tasted an Ida red but understand that it is tart and juicy.

The Jon gold, of course, is a blend of the tart Jonathan and the sweet Golden Delicious. Jon gold apples are good for all purposes. Red Delicious apples are tender, juicy and best for eating out of your hand.

October brings in the Braeburn apple that is also sweet, tart, crispy and juicy. The Fuji, also an October Virginia apple, is sweet, crisp and another all-purpose apple.

The green Granny Smith apples are very tart, crisp and excellent for all purposes, also. These apples cook apart quickly. Mutsu/Crispen apples, which I’ve never seen, are Virginia apples that are firm, sweet, juicy and slightly tart.

A good baking October apple is the Rome. This apple is firm but slightly tart. Stayman/Winesap apples are sweet, slightly tart, firm and quite juicy.

Last, but not least, is the York apple. It also is tart and crisp, but excellent for cooking or eating. Just remember one rule concerning apples: generally, the tart taste of an apple is best for cooking while sweeter apples are preferred for snacking and for salads.

Although I have listed August, September and October as the months for Virginia apples, check out your grocery store year round for different kinds of bagged apples from all over the country. It is wonderful that consumers

can purchase this healthy product at any time. Bagged apples keep well in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator until ready for use and small apples keep longer.

The variety of apples I’ve listed can be eaten fresh but as I noted, some are better for this purpose than others. Most make good pies except Gala, Jon gold, Mutsu/Crispen and Red Delicious. All can be used in salads with the exception of the Empire and Rome.

This reporter’s favorite cooking apple is called the “June” apple although it usually gets ripe in July. It is a very tart apple that fries up well with just sugar and margarine. This apple is good for breakfast with fried bacon and toast. The only problem is that no one I know can tell me the real name of this apple and where I can pick some next year! My grandmother Rodgers always called them a “June” apple. The last time I picked these apples was on the old Boettcher farm and at the Dunnavant’s home.

Applesauce is excellent when made from those I’ve listed except the Jonagold, the Mutsu/Crispen and the Red Delicious. My family has always loved my baked apples and I usually use Gala even though they are not recommended for baking.

My easy recipe for baked apples is as follows: Butter an 8×8 Pyrex baking dish, peel and slice a three-pound bag of apples, put all of the apples in the dish, add 1/2 cup of sugar or Splenda, shake ground cinnamon over all, and dot with margarine. Repeat with the second layer of apples, sugar, cinnamon & margarine. Add a small amount of water. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour, stirring after 30 minutes. Enjoy!