Yesterday we drove up to Mid Coast Maine so we could pick apples at Bailey’s Orchard {our favorite orchard in Maine!} to load up on our favorite Rhode Island Greening apples for pies.
I’ve had apples {and pie} on my mind lately so I figured today I’d share what I know about the best apple varieties for baking, canning and eating fresh.
Baking Apples
Every apple variety has a different taste. Granny Smiths and Rhode Island Greening are awesome for pies, because they add a little tart to the sweet pastry. If you want to get crazy, mix either of them with the sweeter Golden Delicious apples {in the same pie}, and you have found heaven, my friends.
Rome, Braeburn, and Jonagold are also great for baking. They hold up well to heat, so they will keep their shape, and they taste great.
Canning Apples
Granny Smith and Rhode Island Greening are my got to apples for canned apple pie fillings but if you want to put some apples up, apple sauce is super easy to make as well. The peeling is the worst part, and even that isn’t so bad if you invest in an apple peeler or a food mill {my preference}.
Empress, Cortland, Gala, Jonagold, Braeburn, Golden Delicious, and Honeygolds are all great choices for applesauce. I think the key to applesauce is to mix several different varieties. Make sure to get a mixture of sweet and tart.
Apples for Eating Fresh
Honestly, most apples fit in this category. I used to think Red Delicious apples were the bottom of the barrel–until I had one freshly picked from the tree. I am telling you, they taste nothing like the ones that sit in the grocery stores for months.
The truly fresh ones are awesome. A few of my other personal favorites for slicing are: Pink Lady, Honeycrisp {there is a reason these are usually more expensive, they are the cream of the crop}, Gala, and Fuji’s.
These ones are the best of both worlds, sweet and tart, crisp and delicious.
So there you have it – the best apple varieties for baking, canning and eating fresh.
What varieties do YOU like to use?
~Mavis
Katelyn says
As a Vermonter, I bake exclusively with MacIntosh. For eating fresh, Macouns can’t be beat! They’re tart like a mac but have a more robust flavor. I don’t like sweet apples at all so everything I choose has some punch to it!
Mel says
We love Stayman apples and Crimson Crisp apples!
We picked 90 lbs of Crimson Crisp this season, but we need to go back for Staymans to keep up with the toddler’s applesauce intake.
Erin says
I make my sauce with Jonathan as the base, then round it out with Jonagold and Golden Delicious. The flavor is spot on for me – not overly sweet. And it makes a good chunky sauce if desired (my preference). I’m hoping I’m settled enough next fall to find a local Jonathan apples source in Maine. Chronic illness + moving again = dreaming of next year’s canning instead of this year!
Ellen says
I grew up in upstate NY eating McIntosh apples, and I still order mine every year from an orchard upstate. There is no substitute for a good, crisp Mac with white flesh into which the deep red of the skin bleeds.
Barbara Benware says
I agree 100% !
Bonnie in GA says
Mavis, was the rabbit mug on yesterday’s post, the one that was broken? Did it ever get fixed? As you say, curious minds want to know ( I love those mugs).
Mavis Butterfield says
No, it was the whale mug that broke. 🙁 It’s still sitting on the HH’s workbench.
Bonnie in GA says
Maybe it can be a winter project after y’all get settled good. That artist is amazing!!
KC says
YES to mixing apples for applesauce and apple butter. I did single-variety once or twice, but then it tastes like that-variety-sauce instead of like… applesauce. Mixing them up results in a well-rounded apple-y flavor instead of the clear, specific notes coming through (which is great when you are biting into an apple, but I want my applesauce to taste like Apples rather than having so few notes and not enough harmony?).
I used to core the apples, cook them, then put them through a food mill and dehydrate the peel with a bit of applesauce sticking to it; high fiber fruit leather, but it was tasty and minimal work. 🙂
JudyBee says
I love fresh Opal apples. Flavor is a combo of sweet and tart. They are crisp and they don’t turn brown when exposed to air.
SueD says
I mix apples when making both applesauce and apple butter. We use a mix of apples when pressing for cider, and I use them as a base for the sauce and butter. For pies, I prefer a tart apple, Cox’s Pippin or Granny Smith. Though I have a bushel of Wolf River to bake up this weekend.
Nancy D says
Did you keep all your lovely WECK canning jars in your move?
Mavis Butterfield says
Yes!!! 🙂
Kathy says
Cortland and Jonagold are my apples of choice when making apple butter. Have tried others but this combo is a winner in my book. With the right amount of nutmeg, cinnamon and clove, no sugar needed. Yum!
Tammy says
For eating: Honeycrisp, Cosmic Crisp, or Envy. For baking, I stick with tried-and-true Granny Smith. I grew up on MacIntosh and I can’t stand how mushy they are. I like a really crisp apple for snacking.
Diana near Atlanta says
Here in the South, there is a variety called Arkansas Black. The skin is so deep a red as to appear black in low light. I made applesauce with them, mixed with some Braeburn, a few years ago and it was outstanding. They won’t be ready to pick until 10/15, so my neighbor and I are making plans for a trip to the N. Georgia mountains in a couple of weeks. YUM!