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Apples! Red Apples! What is Your Favorite?

 
Anne Miller
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I love giving out apples and I also love eating them, too. My favorite is and always has been red delicious apples.  I am going to have to eat one today!

On December 1, National Eat a Red Apple Day encourages everyone to eat a red apple. As the adage goes, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” and today is a perfect time to put that theory to taste.

An apple is both delicious and nutritious. With over 7,500 varieties of apples and over 7.5% of the world’s production coming from the USA, apples are widely available.



https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-eat-a-red-apple-day-december-1/




What variety of red apples do you like best?


Here are some different varieties of red apples:

Fuji




Dazzle




Sugarbee




Has anyone tried any of these?  Which one did you like and why?

Here are some threads about apples that you might enjoy:

https://permies.com/t/30416/Monty-Surprise-extra-nutritious-apple

https://permies.com/t/147087/Honey-Crisp-Apple-Tree-Pacific

https://permies.com/t/142377/experience-apple-tree-varieties-Georgia

https://permies.com/wiki/98630/tasting-home-grown-Apple-varieties

https://permies.com/t/82784/Apple-varieties-thought-extinct-Eastern

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

 
Judith Browning
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My favorite this year is fuji...our apple trees are too young to bear yet so we buy what ever is organic in the stores.  Most of the time it is galas and sometimes expensive honey crisp.

This year and last we have been ordering from Azure in Oregon.  
They have the most delicious huge fujis and really every apple I've tried from them has been just wonderful.
We've ordered 60# of 'juice apples' for each of the last two months.
It is an odd assortment of organic culls but we have been able to find the fujis in the mix

I'm dehydrating a lot of them and the refrigerator is overflowing with fresh.
We each eat several a day and take the dried ones on hikes....and the supply will soon dry up.

I used to love sour apples, the sourer the better...not as much anymore.  
Now my favorites are the ones with complex flavors and some sweetness.

"We're all just walking each other home." -Ram Dass
"Be a lamp, or a lifeboat, or a ladder."-Rumi
"It's all one song!" -Neil Young

 
Jamin Grey
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My go-to store-bought apples are Honeycrisp for eating, Grannysmith for baking.

Red Delicious is terrible. Terrible terrible.

However, I'm looking forward to trying the apples from my own trees, which are just reaching fruiting age, and I planted a variety of species to try.
 
Tereza Okava
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I am an apple fiend. I have always lived in apple country, all over the place, and apples are definitely my comfort food.
Here we can get Fujis and Galas (I prefer the Fujis); occasionally some green Granny Smith types, but not regularly, and then there are imported Red Delicious that are generally mealy.
When I travel I try to pick when I can. I think Spencer might be my favorite kind of apple ever, but I do love a nice Winesap, Mac or Crispin straight off the tree. It's hard for me to consider any apple bad.
 
Mk Neal
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I've always liked Jonathans and Jonamacs as a versatile not-too-sweet apple.  For hand eating, Fuji and Pink Lady are really good.

We always picked Cortland at orchards growing up. I don't like these much for fresh eating (kinda mushy), but they make excellent applesauce and also do not brown as fast as most apples when cut.

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greg mosser
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when i worked for a guy with a fairly big commercial orchard in vermont, i realized that there was a window for red delicious from when they were picked to where i  didn’t want to waste my time with them. i think it was about 10 days. my favorites from those days were probably honeycrisp, macoun, and mutzu/crispin, haralson, and jonagold if it wasn’t too late in the season....for eating, and northern spy and fortune for baking. so good!

when i can get them at farmers markets these days, i’ll almost always go for one of the russet varieties - ashmead’s kernel, golden russet, crown russet, etc. such nice blends of sugars, acids, and tannins!

these days, in the stores, i mostly go after fuji’s and sometimes braeburn or pink lady. i like honeycrisps, but i don’t think they’re worth the extra dollar or two per pound on the pricetag.

there’s a few good wild/seedling trees around here that i really like too, some of which have been grafted and are growing as new trees at my place!
 
Robert Ray
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Pink Lady or Cripps Pink are pretty tasty, Honey Crisps are good Granny Smiths for dehydrating and baking.  I remember trying a pollinator at a Yakima orchard, he called it a banana apple that was just used as a pollinator because it didn't ship well, but as I recall it was good and crisp

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Gary Numan
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Honeycrisp was my favorite >5 years ago, but something happened, they're not perfect any more.  I suspect the pollination got screwed up somewhere.  Or diluted or something.

I then moved on to Pink Lady, still pretty good, but again, wonderful 5 years ago.

My current favorite, is Sweet Tango.

Conversely, Red Delicious?  DELICIOUS?  Anything but.  It's marketing.

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G Freden
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My neighbour has a Golden Delicious which is truly wonderful straight off the tree, despite me never liking them from the store.  We got several big bags off her this year and those we saved for eating got slightly less delicious every day;  after about three weeks they were comparable to storebought ones:  kind of dry and mealy.  I wonder if Red Delicious has the same problem?

My best red apple is one I grow myself:  Sparta.  In a good sunny year they turn almost purple, with startlingly white flesh.

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Jay Angler
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I like different varieties for different purposes, but generally, my favorite apple is one I grow myself!

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jordan barton
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i have to say my favourite apple comes from a tree which sees yearly applications of seaweed at its toes. Not a bought thing. this has been harvested from the ocean by the owner. Piled up about 2 feet in diameter
The tree itself is Mutsu/Mutzu. Yum.

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Inge Leonora-den Ouden
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My favourite apple is Discovery. As far as I know, because there are many apple varieties I don't know, maybe they taste even better. The Discovery is an early apple that is only sold here for a short period (about August).

"Also, just as you want men to do to you, do the same way to them" (Luke 6:31)

 
Inge Leonora-den Ouden
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But I have two apples trees now on my 'new' allotment garden. I know one of them has very red (dark red) apples. Maybe 'my own apples' will taste the best (coming autumn).

"Also, just as you want men to do to you, do the same way to them" (Luke 6:31)

 
Steve Thorn
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Two of my favorites that I've tried so far that come to mind are Magnum Bonum (Latin meaning "great good") and Hawkeye Delicious (the original Red Delicious that was actually truly delicious before they ruined it by selecting redder and more perfect looking mutations).

Both are supposedly pretty disease resistant and vigorous healthy growers. I've got them both planted and hope to find out for sure soon!

Striving to grow things as naturally, simply, and cheaply as possible!
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Steve Thorn
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Here's a picture of what Magnum Bonum looks like...




And Hawkeye Delicious...


Striving to grow things as naturally, simply, and cheaply as possible!
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Paul Sofranko
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Recently we had a poll on the most popular homesteading crops and apples came in 4th place (out of nine!)

Here's an interesting infographic summarizing lots of appley goodness (and don't forget to check out the Garden Master Course Kickstarter and hopefully back it!)






 
Erika Bailey
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I have a Liberty apple tree in my backyard--and though it has pretty heavy bug damage most years (60 to 80%, I'd guess?) they make awesome applesauce.  The skin is super dark red and turns all the applesauce pink.  The few that are not riddled with bugs are good for fresh eating.
From the farmers' market I have been getting Spartan, Northern Spy, RI Greening, Wolf River, Spencer, Sweet 16, Honey Crisp (one farmer has a tree that produces small ones, so he sells them as Kinder Crisp).  They offer a pile of other varieties locally, but I think the Spartans when super fresh are my favorite.  
 
Max Urbs
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On Vancouver Island, my favourites are Northern Spy and Akane.
Northern Spy is very tart, but has excellent storage capabilities. I hand pick them in mid to late October and they will store outside in the cellar until February/March with little to no deterioration. It is great tree for growing, but takes a while to fruit. But some of the apples can be the size of grapefruits, or even small cantaloupes. Once it is going, it is amazing.
Akane is super tasty, with small but very apples. It is a favourite for eating, but does not last long. I have my growing on swales with comfrey and hyssop underneath. Low care, and beautiful to look at. Some years I have to prop the branches up for fear they will break.
I also take all of the apple cores and seeds and broadcast seed them out around  the place. I have so many unknown and unusual apples.
On the Completely Arboritary podcast, the tree expert mentioned that when colonists came from the UK to North America, there were over 7000+ varieties of different apples recorded. Such an amazing fruit.
 
fred hans
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My favorite is McIntosh. With Winesap, Cortland and Johnathan a close second.

im here to learn as much as i can.

 
Barbara Kochan
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My favorite red apple is Washington State's new Cosmic Crisp. Exactly the sweet/tart balance i love; super crisp, good keeper (still getting last years crop at the grocery stores and they are still crisp and juicy). Sad to say this year's crop, like almost all fruit crops in this state, is late and small. :-(

This apple is as wonderful to me as straight-from-the-orchard gravensteins of 40 years ago (at the time the only place you could get gravensteins)
 
Cris Fellows
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fred hans wrote:My favorite is McIntosh. With Winesap, Cortland and Johnathan a close second.



McIntosh is definitely my favorite too.  I am surprised mention of it was so far down on the thread.  Sadly it has such a short season.  I don't think my nine year old grandson had ever had one until this year.  He would not stop extolling the virtues of the apple for quite some time after that!

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Su Ba
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I can’t grow decent apples here in Hawaii, so I have to resort to store bought. Blagh! The most acceptable has been Pacific Rose, though I usually only can find Fuji as a substitute.

When I lived in NJ there was a Melrose apple orchard near by. Loved those apples. Sadly it got torn down to make room for another housing development.

I wonder if anyone still grows Melrose.

It's never too late to start! I retired to homestead on the slopes of Mauna Loa, an active volcano. I relate snippets of my endeavor on my blog : www.kaufarmer.blogspot.com

 
Anne Miller
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Anne Miller wrote:I love giving out apples and I also love eating them, too. My favorite is and always has been red delicious apples.  I am going to have to eat one today!

Sugarbee




Has anyone tried any of these?  Which one did you like and why?

Here are some threads about apples that you might enjoy:

https://permies.com/t/30416/Monty-Surprise-extra-nutritious-apple

https://permies.com/t/147087/Honey-Crisp-Apple-Tree-Pacific

https://permies.com/t/142377/experience-apple-tree-varieties-Georgia

https://permies.com/wiki/98630/tasting-home-grown-Apple-varieties

https://permies.com/t/82784/Apple-varieties-thought-extinct-Eastern



I wish I had a Sugarbee apple to try eating today.
Today is National Sugarbee Apple Day!

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

 
Eugene Howard
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I have a book on growing apples.........really more of an unpublished manuscript.......written by college level math guy......whose hobby was growing apples. Was actually referred to him by the local University Extension person whose job it was help guys like me, but they said he knew more about apples than they did.....and it turns out they were right. His material is far and away the best resource I have ever seen.

I tracked him down and he was more than willing to offer help. Had a small orchard growing on a vacant residential lot in town. Had over 80 varieties of trees he had acquired for testing. His goal, and it was a good one, was to find about 8 varieties of apple trees that a roadside market guy or homeowner alike could plant that would yield a steady crop of apples to harvest.....to sell or consume........from early mid summer all the way to first frost and some weeks beyond. And he had it nailed.

But one thing he made abundantly clear, these apples had to be adapted to the climate or they would fail. An example would be Honeycrisp in a climate where summer temps could push 100F. Once temps got in 90F to 95F range, trees would simply drop all fruit, so you would get nothing. Like trying to force a square peg into a round hole. Doomed to fail.

So first rule would be to make sure the applies you select are adaptable to your climate. After that, select for disease resistance (like cedar apple rust), and from those, pick varieties that are actually edible. Then if you are going to follow his plan, stagger maturity dates and pick mixes that will pollinate each other. None of that is hard to do, but does require some thought and leg work before you get started.





 
Anne Miller
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National Day Calender said, "NATIONAL EAT A RED APPLE DAY

On December 1st, National Eat a Red Apple Day encourages everyone to eat a red apple. As the adage goes, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away," and today is a perfect time to put that theory to taste.



Since it is also National Pie Day, it might be nice to bake an apple pie today.

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

 
Greg Slayton
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My favorite apple is an Arkansas Black, the darkest of red apples.
 
John Huff
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When I bought my property, I planted several dwarf Mcintosh apple trees and 2 Golden delicious apple trees.  Now that they produce an abundance of fruit, I am trying to determine what to do with them.  If canned or frozen, they trun mushy, and they don't dehydrate well either.  Is there any way of preserving apples?
 
Greg Slayton
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John Huff,

Think about saving them in liquid form, you can even let it ferment to your preference.
 
Riona Abhainn
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So red delicious is the apple I dislike the most, to me it tastes tasteless.  But my dad likes them.

Up until a few years ago the Portland Mursery would hold the apple-tasting festival every Oct.  We discovered it when I was 12 and went every year.  So I've tasted more apples than the average person.  Out of the varieties mentioned in the original post I like Fuji, I can't remember whether I've had that other one, each year they had like 90 varieties of apples and I always tasted all of them, but didn't keep good track of which was which.

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P Schaaf
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If you’d like ideas on tasty apples, I recommend Adam’s Apples blog. He’s tasted many apples, reviewed them humorously, and has fans around the world that add their comments. https://adamapples.blogspot.com/
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Daphne Rose
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I pick hundreds of pounds of feral/abandoned apples a year. I live in mid Michigan and pick from August to December. These are some of my apples from this year including Paula Red, Red delicious, Wolf River and Golden delicious (i know, not red) and an unknown but yummy red kind, all from abandoned trees!
ED538315-0185-413F-BF60-69225632FF82.jpeg
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0535BC5B-9560-4D64-B99F-2524414FD70C.jpeg
[Thumbnail for 0535BC5B-9560-4D64-B99F-2524414FD70C.jpeg]
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[Thumbnail for 26F7A4B9-75BE-4660-A95E-EEC8E954300E.jpeg]
30E32810-46FA-493F-94A9-4F2D185D6201.jpeg
[Thumbnail for 30E32810-46FA-493F-94A9-4F2D185D6201.jpeg]
 
Douglas Alpenstock
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I am envious of you folks in warmer climes with apple trees growing everywhere.

We have to buy our eating apples. Fujis aren't bad. Galas are really nice when they're in season and fresh from the orchard. But Ambrosia is our consistent, hands-down household favourite.
 
Nikki Roche
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I agree, Ambrosia is great when I can find it. Otherwise, Pink Lady is my favorite and easier to access. I had an amazing Honeycrisp recently, but usually they don't live up to the hype for me. I grew up thinking I didn't like red apples because Red Delicious were the only ones offered to me. A crisp, juicy apple that's sweet yet tart is always my preference.

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George William
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Evercrisp and crimson crisp are my favs. My favorite red heirloom variety is Esopus Spitzenburg. Ya I like starchy apples, fight me
 
Anne Miller
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Daphne Rose wrote:I pick hundreds of pounds of feral/abandoned apples a year. I live in mid Michigan and pick from August to December.



I feel it is awesome that you have found a place to find abandoned apples!

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

 
Darren Robertson
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Oddly enough this year's best tasting red apple for me has been very well managed Red Delicious for me. My wife swears by Cosmic Crisp. That is store bought apples though.

Currently Parks Pippin is my favorite home grown red apple. Like a Granny Smith. A bit sweeter. And bigger. Awesome pie apple as well.
 
Emmett Ray
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I never met an apple I didn't like.  I rarely have them though because I refuse to ingest store bought apples.  As long as they're homegrown and crisp, I'll eat 'em.  I even like crab apples.  I love making apple pies a lot, but I always give them away because I don't like cooked fruit or pie crust.

Thank you in advance to everyone for their replies, help, and suggestions! Forgive me if I miss any replies, I'm still learning how to keep up with threads I participate in!

 
Darren Robertson
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Emmett Ray wrote:I never met an apple I didn't like.  I rarely have them though because I refuse to ingest store bought apples.  As long as they're homegrown and crisp, I'll eat 'em.  I even like crab apples.  I love making apple pies a lot, but I always give them away because I don't like cooked fruit or pie crust.



I tend to agree. Commercial apples often suffer from indifferent handling. I often find a few apples that were not dried properly after the cleaning wash. Which make core rot.

Or become bruised by rough handling. Or get shipped not ripe.
 
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