Day 98 - Imperfect Foods Apple Crisp Garanola

 

You don't need to be a hippie to enjoy granola.  I love cereal, granola is cereal.  We have been getting our groceries delivered this year but I remember as if it was several months ago.  The cereal isle is a wonderland of flavors, textures, shapes, colors and moods, promising everything from health and well-being to strength, virility and a sugar crash worthy of a heroin overdose, good times!

We have been getting some of our delivered groceries from a company called Imperfect Foods.  They sell items that are perfectly edible and tasty but would go to waste because stores don't want them for a number of reasons: fruit and vegetables that are small or wrong in appearance, meat that wasn't cut properly (good example: we got center-cut bacon pieces, delicious but not the perfect strips you'd expect) overstock items, packages that are slightly damaged or have the wrong appearance do to redesign or printing errors.  

Imperfect Foods organic Apple Crisp granola is made in small batches in a solar-powered bakery by elves.  It's made with organic nuts, seeds, apple pieces and spices.  They have a natural taste, not too sweet, decent crunch, definitely some cinnamon.  The biggest problem, not nearly enough apple pieces.  I see this time and again.  When something is advertised as an "apple" thingy, it should have enough apples damn-it!  I shouldn't get mad though. (Calm down Mike, think of your blood pressure) It is from Imperfect Foods.

Another granola I wanted to mention because it is fucking delicious is Love Crunch!  This is the tastiest granola I have tried.  It is a chocolate granola with dried strawberries, rasberries, coconut and dark chocolate chunks.  I have only seen it at Costco.  I highly recommend it.

Next time I review L'Epicurien Apple Cider Confit with Calvados Brandy.  Crunch on!

Day 97 - Sailor Jerry Savage Apple Rum vs. Captain Morgan Apple Spiced Rum

 
I have tried a lot of apple flavored spirits and I don't mean apple flavored ghosts.  Don't mix apples with the dead, that's what I always say, almost on a daily basis.  Can I get a boo-boo!

Rum is a category of liquor that I enjoy.  It mixes well with apple cider, eggnog, cola and many cocktails.  Sailor Jerry Savage Apple and Captain Morgan Apple Spiced Rum are almost identical in taste!  I have tried and enjoyed both their standard versions before.  Sailor Jerry Savage Apple has a little more of a tart green apple taste than the Captain and for the apple version, they reduced their abv from 46% alcohol to 35% for a little less bite.  They are comparable in price, usually about $18.99 for 750 ml.  The Captain Morgan's was on sale for $14.99.

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Laura made a kick-ass cocktail with the Captain Morgan Apple Spice Rum.  It was made from the aforementioned, apple cider, Buttershots Butterscotch liquor, Canada Dry Bold Ginger Ale and a garnish of fresh apple slice and it was fucking awesome, yum!  It would have been just as good with Sailor Jerry Savage Apple.  Thanks Laura!

Next time, we have breakfast with Imperfect Foods Apple Crisp Granola with a bonus review of Love Crunch Granola.  Crunch on!

Day 96 - Crimson Topaz

 

This wasn't a great year to peruse the apple section for new subjects to dissect.  I used to hit grocery stores, farmers markets, orchards, back alleys, dark webs, every warehouse, farmhouse, henhouse, outhouse, doghouse I could find.  You know, the COVID hit.  We have been getting our groceries delivered since April 4th.  I have only experienced 4 new apples this year.

I bought a quarter peck of Crimson Topaz at Peck and Bushel Organic Fruit Co.  The Crimson Topaz was developed in the 1990's in the Czech Republic.  It is a cross between a Vanda and a Rubin.

The flavor is tart, sour, or as they say on the Great British Baking Show, sharp but still sweet.  They are small to medium in size and have a uniform round shape with a white inner flesh and a bright red exterior with yellow highlights.  The one pictured above had a cool racing stripe!  I found them to be crisp and juicy but they browned rather quickly once the skin was breached.  I prefer my apples a little less tart but if you like that then check 'em out.

Next time, I compare Captain Morgan Apple Spiced Rum with Sailor Jerry Savage Apple Rum, crunch on!

 

Day 95 - Laura's Apple Ginger Crisp

 

Laura likes to cook and bake.  It makes me want to fill my plate and lick it clean for goodness sake.  Baretta was played by Robert Blake.

Baretta had a cockatoo named Fred.  It was a cool looking bird.  I don't think I'd like to own a bird, filthy creatures really.  In 1990, the cockatoo who played Fred was stolen from the San Diego Wild Animal Park.  He was found safely and went on to live a long life.  He celebrated his 100th birthday in 2014, wow, very old for a cockatoo, average life expectancy 50-70 years.  I don't know what age he lived to but I digress. 

I am lucky that my wife enjoys cooking like she does.  She feels true joy in the process of figuring out what to make, gathering and prepping the ingredients and finally, presenting the finished dishes in all their glory!  I reap the benefits for sure.

I'm not much of a cook myself.  We did Plated for 2-3 years.  They send ingredients and detailed recipe cards for 2 meals a week.  We were quite busy at the time and thought it would save some meal planning/shopping time and also give me a chance to work on cooking.  I made some meals successfully but I have to say the actual process of cooking gave me no joy.  The eating is always good but thank you Laura my dear for thoughtfully filling the bellies of your loved ones!

Laura's Apple Ginger Crisp was dynamite!  It was made with Liberty and Crimson Topaz apples, cut up candied ginger, sugar and spices with a delicious, buttery streusel on on top.  The tart apples were cooked just right and were a great compliment to the spiciness of the ginger, the sweetness of the gooey stuff and the crunch of the streusel.  I had it with a little vanilla ice cream and some whipped cream, YUM!

Next time, I review the Crimson Topaz.  Crunch on!

Day 94 - Liberty

Liberty 

Liberty has it's blemishes.  It can be sweet, it can be sour.  We refer to our cat Eliza as sweet and sour.  She's a sweet girl but sometimes she turns on a dime and claws your face off.  We put up with it because it's what we know.  America is sometimes like this but I'm talking about an apple, the Liberty apple.

The Liberty apple was first developed in 1955 in New York state, a mix of the Macoun and the Purdue 54-12 with the Macintosh as a grand-parent but was not available to the public until 1978.  It is a small, uniform shaped apple with a mostly dark red color.  It was developed to be resistant to disease (like America?) and therefore, yields a good harvest but only lasts a couple months after being picked.

I bought a half peck of these at Peck and Bushel Organic Fruit Co.  It has a crisp, white flesh, a juicy bite and is fairly sour.  My wife made an apple crisp (see future review) with these and some Crimson Topaz apples.

Liberty has a short growing season but is supposedly an easy apples to grow so if enough of us work together, maybe we could have enough liberty for all!

Next time, I review Laura's Ginger Apple Crisp.  Crunch on!

Day 93 - Honeycrisp Apple Spumante (Non-alcoholic)

I did not drink alcohol for almost 4 months starting in Mid-February, what a year to go sober!  It was the longest I've gone without drinking since my freshman year of college.  On November 22nd 2019, I went to the doctor because I had some soreness in my chest and some dizziness.  They sent me to the hospital.  It turned out I had a blockage in one of my arteries and I had to have a stent put in.  I was put on a few different meds after, some that I need to take for life, one was a blood thinner called Brilinta (later it changed to Plavix) that I need to take for at least a year.  This was all quite a bummer so I was determined to get healthy.  I started eating better and exercising regularly.

Early February, Laura and I went on a lovely trip to Turks and Caicos in the Caribbean.

It was the most beautiful place I've ever seen but I was scarily out of breath while we were down there.  I thought it was a side-effect of the Brilinta, which can sometimes cause shortness of breath.  When we got back, I went to the cardiologist to switch from Brilinta to Plavix.  They suggested I get a chest CT to check for possible blood clots and lo and behold, I had 'em, a pulmonary embolism, hooray!  So then I had to start taking Eliquis to break up clots in my lungs.  I would need to take it for 6 months.  I was now taking two major blood thinners so would need to be very careful about getting hurt so I wouldn't bleed out, and I bruise like a bastard.  My doctor said I should stop drinking while on Plavix and Eliquis because alcohol also thins the blood.

I did not make it the whole 6 months without drinking.  As a world-wide pandemic kicked in and things were stressful, I started drinking a little the last couple months but during the sober period, I experimented with non alcoholic beers, cocktails and wines.  It was a learning experience.

There are a lot more NA beers than there used to be.  There are NA versions of every style: Stouts, Porters, Lagers, IPA's, Weiss beers, Radlers, ect...  I tried several.  Unfortunately, most of them taste like a watered down version of the real thing.  I found two German options that were pretty good, Buckler Lager and the best one, Paulander Weizen-Radler.  I am not usually into Radlers (more commonly known as Shandy) but this is the only NA I have tried that tastes like a High-Octane beer.

I tried some NA cocktail mixers:  Seedlip Grove 42 Citrus and Ritual Whiskey Alternative.  They have a variety of ingredients that try to mimic alcohol, heat from peppers, citrus, herbs and I made some cocktails.

Now for the review:  Lautenbach's Orchard Country Honeycrisp Apple Spumante (Non-alcoholic).

It is from a vinyard in Fish Creek, WI.  It is very sweet, not very exciting.  I would rather go for Welch's Sparkling Cider than this.  As a kid, I would sometimes have Welch's sparkling cider or grape juice for occasions like Thanksgiving and that stuff is pretty good!

Live and learn and then get Luv's!  Next time I review the Liberty apple.  God bless us, every one.  Crunch on!

Day 92 - Walls Berry Farm Organic Honeycrisp Organic Apple Fruit Spread

Organic, what else you got?  Honeycrisp, the days of that being the best apple around are over!  I saw this whopping 42 oz jar of Walls Berry Farm Organic Honeycrisp Organic Apple Fruit Spread at Costco for $3.97 so why the hell not!

It's pretty good stuff, 35 calories per serving.  It has a smooth texture and some light spice.  It's good on toast, waffles. ice cream, your lover's skin.  I put some on my Costco Apple Crumb Muffin, as seen in my last review.

My first problem with it, however is the word organic is on the jar, I kid you not, 12 times!  Depending on how you read it, it actually uses the word organic twice in the name.  Check out these previous blogs discussing the pros and cons, the mystery and grandeur of organic apples: 

https://mikegrunertblog.blogspot.com/2019/03/day-78-crimsoncrisp-apple-cult-and-is.html

https://mikegrunertblog.blogspot.com/2017/03/day-26-organic-honey-crisp.html

If the best you can do to make this jar look appealing is to print organic on it 12 times, that's lame.

Next complaint, the Honeycrisp name is used too much to sell apple products.  I have reviewed Honeycrisp Apple Tea, Honeycrisp Apple Chips and my next review is actually for Honeycrisp Apple Spumante.  The Honeycrisp was the rockstar of the apple world for several years but there are lots of great choices now and specifically, in regard to what it added to these products, I don't think it was that significant. 

In conclusion, Walls Berry Farm Organic Honeycrisp Organic Apple Fruit Spread is fine and certainly a bargain at $3.97 a jar.  My favorite product like this is Musselman's Apple Butter.  See review: https://mikegrunertblog.blogspot.com/2018/01/day-59-musselmans-apple-butter-and.html

Next time, I review Honeycrisp Apple Spumante (non-alcoholic) and discuss my current period of sobriety.  Crunch and drink on!

  

Day 91 - Costco Apple Crumb Muffin and Family Conflict

The Costco Apple Crumb Muffin!  It is HUGE!  You could share it with a friend or family member if you like but that's no fun.

I had the muffin in the freezer for a while, saving it for the old apple product review.  My daughter, we'll call her Kat, kept bugging me that she wanted to eat it.  I said no.  How can I review a muffin without eating it?  If you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding!  How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?

We argued, furniture was broken, harsh words were spoken.  The fighting continued until finally, I kicked her out of the house.  She built a small lean-to out of sticks and leaves in the backyard where she has been living for the last week.  We have lot's of bunnies in our yard.  She caught some and cooked them in our fire pit.  She came to me yesterday and asked if we could just split the muffin.  I thought that was a great idea so I invited her in and we did!

Costco muffins come in packages of six.  It costs $9.99 for two packages of six.  They come in a variety of flavors.  Each Costco Apple Crumb Muffin is 680 calories.  They are spiced with a crumb topping and a light drizzle my izzle of glaze.

There are apples listed among the ingredients but I don't really taste the apple.  Some apple pie filling or something in there would have been a good touch,  Show me the apple, what are you afraid of!  I have to say, there is a Costco Coffee Cake Muffin that looks almost identical.  I wonder if it is!

The Costco Apple Crumb Muffin still tastes good.  I like it with a little butter or with some of the product I review next:  Walls Berry Farm Organic Honeycrisp Apple Fruit Spread.  That's a mouthful!  Do I care that it's organic or Honeycrisp?  Stay tuned and crunch on!

 

Day 90 - Mrs Prindables Gourmet Caramel Apple

That's one fancy caramel apple, a Mrs Prindables Gourmet Caramel Apple!  From their website:
MRS PRINDABLES invented the Gourmet Caramel Apple over thirty years ago using the finest ingredients – orchard-fresh Granny Smith Apples, decadent homemade caramel, premium nuts, and the finest chocolates – to create a truly unique and indulgent gift.  They are hand-made in small batches to ensure quality. 

They have 8 regular flavors to choose from.  The one we got was the Milk-chocolate Walnut Pecan.  The chocolate tasted like the good stuff.  The balance of chocolate, caramel, nuts and tart Granny Smith apple was just right.

It was huge.  The website claims they feed 6-8 people!  I wouldn't go that far but my family of 3 did not finish it in one sitting.  They also are available in a small version that feeds 1-2 people.

They come in a fancy blue/purple box with a purdy bow and a high quality, thick stick. (That's what she said!)  They ain't cheap, $26.99 each from the website, $29.99 with a flower or holiday extra fancifying details.  Those are some good margins!

My mother-in-law, we'll call her Mary Tessier is the master of the deal and I'm sure she found this gift to us for a good price.

Here are some pics from the website: https://www.mrsprindables.com/

There you have it, yum and such.  Next time, I review another large item:  Costco Apple Crumb Muffin.  Crunch on!

Day 89 - Honeycrisp Apple Green Tea and Brontosauruses

Do you fancy a spot of tea?  How about DAVIDsTEA  Honeycrisp Apple Green Tea?

The first ingedient is dried Honeycrisp apples followed by sweet blackberry leaf, green tea, hibiscus, apple pomace (the solid residue left after milling and pressing apples) citric acid and pears.

This is a good apple forward tea.  I can barely taste the green tea.  I enjoy it with a little honey.

Isn't this tea steeper fucking adorbs!  It looks like a Brontosaurus.  The Brontosaurus (Apatosaurus) was a herbivore, subsisting on large quantities of leaves and ferns.  They did not chew but swallowed their food whole. 

There is evidence of apples in prehistoric times so Brontosaurusessssss may have eaten apples but not Honeycrisp apples.  I think they would have enjoyed DAVIDsTEA  Honeycrisp Apple Green Tea.

Next time, we get decadent with  Mrs Prindables Gourmet Carmel Apples.  Crunch on!

Day 88 - Terrapin Ridge Farms Apple Maple Bacon Jam

Three beautiful things: apple, maple and bacon in a jam form!  We be jammin' man!  Apple Maple Bacon Jam from Terrapin Ridge Farms out of Clearwater, FL is delicious!  

Terrapin Ridge Farms makes dressings, mustards, dips, sauces, jams and jellies.  My daughter ordered two jars of jam from them for my birthday, the aforementioned and a Apple and Horseradish Jam. 

They sent us two of the Apple Maple Bacon Jam so we just went with it.  I will definitely try the Apple & Horseradish Jam sometime and blog about it.  Terrapin Ridge Farms has some cool, unique flavors to choose from.  Check 'em out at terrapinridge.com.

Since we had two jars, my wife, we'll call her Laura, made some cool dishes with it.  She used it as a chicken wing sauce.

These wings were kick-ass!  The apple tang or zing, maple sweetness and bacon saltiness perfectly complimented the crisp chicken wings.

Laura also added the jam to some Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce on some baby back ribs.  It really beefed up the taste.

 Terrapin Ridge Farms Apple Maple Bacon Jam is also good on a cracker with some cream cheese. 

Next time, I review David's Tea Honeycrisp Apple Green Tea.  Crunch on!

Day 87 - Anderson's Apple Syrup

On pancakes, waffles or chugged straight for a diabetic inducing good time, Anderson's Apple Syrup!

Made by Anderson's Maple Syrup, in Cumberland, WI, a 12 oz. bottle sells for $5-6.  The website describes it as 100% Natural Apple Syrup made from select fresh squeezed apples, a perfected recipe of pure apple juice and sugar that is guaranteed to be the same high quality you have come to expect from their products.  

I thought Anderson's Apple Syrup was alright.  It did taste like apples, sweet but also tart.  Even being the apple lover I am though, I don't think you can beat good maple syrup.  I don't really have anything else to say about it.

I haven't tried Anderson's Maple Syrup but would like to.  They sell it in many sizes.  They also sell maple candy, popcorn, maple sugar, maple cream and their syrup is used in a Sprecher Wisconsin Maple Root Beer.

Next time, I review Honeycrisp Apple Spumante (non-alcoholic).  Drank/crunch on and be safe!

Day 86 - Apple Sauce vs Apple Baby Food

Easy to eat, even without teeth, delicious and nutritious.  Ain't no shame in it, I like apple baby food but which is better, apple baby food or applesauce?  Read on for a mix-up and a surprise player in da game!

For my taste test, I went with Mott's Applesauce, Beech-Nut 100% Natural Apple Baby Food and Gerber Organic Apple Baby Food.

The common ingredients among the 3 are pureed apples, ascorbic acid for Mott's and Gerber, lemon juice for Beech-Nut.  Mott's has added high fructose corn syrup.

Some stats:

Mott's : 110 calories, 25g sugar, potasium 2%, vitamin C 10%

Beech-Nut : 70 calories, 10g sugar, potasium 20%, calcium 4%

Gerber : 60 calories, 11g sugar, potasium 10%, vitamin C 45%

The baby food is ground more finely than the applesauce.  All 3 smell about the same.  I think the applesauce is too sweet.  Both the baby foods have no added sugar and to me are not quite sweet enough.  The Gerber has the best nutritional value. Based on everything, drum roll please... my favorite is BANANA BABY FOOD!  What happened there, a twist!  That's right, my favorite baby food is Banana!

I have Beech-Nut 100% Natural Baby Food.  It has 90 calories, 16g sugar and 50% of your daily potassium. Yum!

Back to the apple, this is an apple blog.  My favorite is the Gerber.  It has the most pure taste and is the best for you.  Let's make things even more interesting, all 3 apple purees mixed together!

This was a great balance of flavor, sweetness and texture.  Next, I combined The Gerber Apple with the Beech-Nut Banana and a little added cinnamon.  This was the best of all, so good that I gobbled it all up before getting a picture!

There you have it, be young at heart.  If you run out of toilet paper, wear a diaper!

Next time, I review Anderson's Apple Syrup.  Stay safe people and crunch on!

Day 85 - Rockin' Hard Cherry Apple Cider

From the quaint Wisconsin vacation region of Door County, comes Rockin' Hard Cherry Apple Cider!  Taken from the Door County Visitor's Bureau, "With 300 miles of shoreline, you can watch a sunrise and a sunset over the water without leaving the county. See thousands of acres of orchards, explore art galleries, devour cherry pie, sip on local wines and brews, splash in the lake or paddle along the bluffs, stroll through five state parks or tour 11 historic lighthouses. No matter what you're looking to get out of your vacation, our 19 unique communities allow you to live life well."

The region is known for it's many apple and cherry orchards and for it's vineyards.  I have never been there but someone from the Door County Visitor's Bureau visited the TV station where I work and brought some wine and apples.  I snagged a bottle of Rockin' Hard Cherry Apple Cider from Door County Cider Co.  

It is estate-grown, fresh-pressed tart and sweet cherry juice and apple, fermented with a slight effervescent and a crisp taste.  They also make Hardcore Apple Cider and Stone Cold Cherry Hard Cider.  They are all 5% ABV and cost aprox. $12.00 for a 750 ml bottle.  The website describes it as semi-sweet but I found it to be quite sweet!  It was just alright for me dawg.  I probably would not try it again but I would love to make it to Door County someday for some nice rest and relaxation, apple picking and booze drinkin'!

Next time, take out your teeth, you don't need em'!  Think back to those care free days when you wore a diaper (I'm wearing one right now!)  I will review/compare apple sauce and apple baby food.  Crunch on or just gum on!

Day 84 - Cosmic Crisp

Cosmic Crisp, proponents have called it the Beyonce of apples!  Is it worthy of this fierce description and lofty name and does this in turn, make Beyonce the Cosmic Crisp of the music world?  It's supposed to be all that and a peck of apples.  Millions have been spent to promote it as the next big thing.  Read on for the shocking results and photographic evidence!

Back in the 1980s', former Washington State University horticulturalist Bruce Barritt became concerned there was too much focus on lame-ass Red and Golden Delicious apples.  He launched a breeding program at the university and in 1997, Barritt crossed a Honeycrisp with an Enterprise and created what came to be known as Cosmic Crisp.  The goal was to create an apple with exceptional, flavor, crunch, juiciness, flexibility, slow browning and long shelf life.

The name Cosmic Crisp came about based on focus groups who thought the striking lenticels on the apple surface reminded them of outer space and the cosmos and of course, they were derived from an apple with crisp in the name.  I think Enterprise probable put thoughts of space in their minds as well.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the shocking photos regarding the alleged long shelf life of said apple.  Would Queen Bee approve of this?!!!!!!!!!

THE FOLLOWING MAY BE OFFENSIVE TO SOME VIEWERS

They (the apple people from outer space) claim Cosmic Crisp should stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to a year.  Imagine my horror when I saw this!  I had this apple for about a month BUT you know what?  Chicken Butt.  I think it must have gotten bruised in the fridge, making it much more prone to mold and decay.  I do believe they last a long time and they are slow to brown.  Here are pics of apple slices right after cutting and after 2, 4 and 6 hours.

They did not brown much which is impressive.  Most of the discoloration occurred after hour 2, interesting.  There are plenty of apples that start to brown within minutes.

My experience with the Cosmic Crisp, very hard flesh with a tart forward but balanced flavor, a loud, snappy crunch that could be heard across the Universe.  The skin was thick but not bitter, thick skin is sometimes bitter, 'twas a large, uniform specimen with a red and yellow, blemish free appearance.

Hubba-hubba Cosmic Crisp!  I hope this picture of Beyonce will get those nasty bruised apple pics out of your mind.

Next time I review Rockin' Hard Cherry Apple Cider.  Crunch on music lovers! 

Day 83 - Fanta Green Apple Soda

If you like a Jolly Rancher green apple candy and bubbles, you probably would like Fanta Green Apple Soda or pop if you prefer, though they call it soda and I call it soda.  It tastes to me just like a delightful Jolly Rancher.  It has a strong apple aroma, the flavor is sweet and quite tart.  There is a pleasant amount of carbonation.  It tastes a lot like Dekuyper Sour Apple Pucker liqueur, see my Day 6 apple review, https://mikegrunertblog.blogspot.com/2017/02/day-6-fuji-pucker-apple-raisin-bran.html, though Pucker is thicker and sweeter and boozier as it is booze.

Fanta Green Apple Soda has a neat toxic green color.  It is produced by The Coca-Cola Co.  The label displays "100% natural flavors".  Government regulations define natural flavors as those that derive their aroma or flavor chemicals from plant or animal sources, including fruit, meat, fish, spices, herbs, roots, leaves, buds or bark that are distilled, fermented or otherwise manipulated in a lab.  

The ingredients are: CARBONATED WATER, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, NATURAL FLAVORS, CITRIC ACID, MALIC ACID, CARAMEL COLOR, SODIUM CITRATE, SODIUM BENZOATE AND POTASSIUM SORBATE, (sarcastic Yum!)  But seriously, it is tasty, just not a health food option, probably best not to drink every day! 

The 20oz bottle has 280 calories and 75g of sugar, 149% of your recommended daily  value!  It is caffeine free.  This tangy concoction can also be purchased in 7.5 or 12oz cans or 2 liter bottles.

Next time, I will take you to an orchard far, far away with the Cosmic Crisp apple.  Drink up and crunch on!

Day 82 - Pink Pearl

Ahoy Mateys! From the land oceans of northern California comes the Pink Pearl, arrgh!  It was developed in 1944 by Albert Etter and is a descendant of the Surprise apple, an old English variety.

The Pink Pearl is medium sized with a creamy yellow to green skin.  The inner flesh is pink to bright red.

The flavor is quite tart with nuances of raspberry or grapefruit.  It is juicy and crisp.  They have a short growing season and are harvested in early Fall while supplies last.

The Pink Pearl is pretty neat, a little lip puckery for my taste but if you like 'em tart, it might be for you.  I have now reviewed two apples in a row with a wild red/pink center.  More apples with this type of look inside are being developed now and I predict you will see more in stores soon.  Some other varieties to look out for:  Clifford, Taunton Cross, Apricot Apple (Orange inside), Giant Russian, Mountain Rose, Red Wonder, Greneva Crab.

Next time, quench your thirst for apples with Fanta Green Apple Soda, drink and crunch on!