Sour Apples

[jvanderh]

Today I saw an apple labeled something like "tart, hard, good for cooking." Something about it just looked delicious. I ate it raw, and I think it might have been the best apple I've ever had. I immediately went back and bought a few more (it was a Grenadier apple). Are there any other lovers of real, honest-to-goodness, pucker-your-face tart apples out there? I am blessed with several great farmer's markets, and I'm curious which varieties you like, and whether you pair the apples with anything or cook them in a way that doesn't undermine their perfect sour-sweetness. I'm thinking they might be awesome on a sandwich with creamy, soft cheese.

[jvanderh]

I am eating a Bramley apple today, and it's delicious!

[visciole]

Tart apples rule! They make much better pie and crisp and cobbler than sweet ones. Tart is seriously under-appreciated these days.

[magiesmom]

so true. Also, the supermarket is not the place to look for great apples!

[jvanderh]

I'm wondering if I could make swirled jelly or ice cream, one part very sour apple (maybe add lemon juice, even) and the other part real caramel.

[julesrules]

Yes, last year we went apple picking and got two varieties. I can't remember the sweet variety but I realised that I liked the Spys, chosen for baking, even better for eating. Also love tart/sweet McIntosh apples. Apple sauce made with tart apples is nice.

[jvanderh]

I am very happy to know how to pick the best Granny Smiths. I am also really enjoying reading about other varieties of apples. Even if I can't get them at my market, I can put them on my bucket list and use them as an excuse to travel someday :-D

[oldunc]

For easy to find apples, I find Pippins much superior to Granny Smith, but they have a pretty short season.

[greygarious]

"Easy to find" is totally relative to your location. Pippins are not in Boston area supermarkets though a few New England orchards that specialize in heirloom varieties still grow them. Heck, the original Baldwin apple tree grew 10 minutes from my house but they are unheard of in stores here and I have not seen them at farmer's markets either.

[oldunc]

They're rarely found in supermarkets here, either- so little is really- but pretty common for their short season in produce stores. I would really hate to have to rely on supermarkets for produce.

[shoo bee doo]

In Minnesota, there is a wonderful tart apple called Haralson. It was created by the University of Minnesota. I don't know if you can find Haralsons anywhere else.

Otherwise, the best tart apple I've ever had were those we picked in central Germany called Boskop, a brown, russeted apple.

[greygarious]

The tartest Granny Smiths are the ones that are deep green, no yellowish tinge, with lots of white freckles and for some reason, the shinier ones are tarter (perhaps this is a reflection of how long they have been stored). I like a thin wedge of Granny atop a cracker, topped with a slice of Jarlsberg or Gruyere and microwaved just till the cheese melts. I used to use Ritz but not since I found Trader Joe's 12-Grain crackers. I never heard of Grenadier but of course there are hundreds of varieties, grown according to region.

[shoo bee doo]

Granny Smiths were once one of my favorite apple, but something has happened to them. I haven't been able to find a good one for years.