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Cooking Guide | Ultimate Apples and Cheese Guide

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Wynoochee

Wynoochee: July-Aug

Crisp and flavorful with a very thin skin.Rich sweet tart flavor. Eat it fresh out of hand or bake with it, no need to peel the thin skin

Pair with Blue Cheese, Aged Cheddar or Gouda

Wynoochee Apples and apple slices on crackers with blue cheese

Gravenstein

Gravenstein: July-Aug

Tangy and sweet with a honey-like fragrance.

One of the best baking apples around. Enjoy them in tarts, pies, cobblers and sauces, or roast alongside chicken and pork. Also goes well with mushrooms and onions.

Pair with Parmesan, Manchego, and Aged Gouda. 

Apples Gravenstein

Dazzle

Dazzle: August 

Sweet and delicate, with a crunch like watermelon.

Best for eating out of hand, with your favorite nut butters, in a green or chopped salad, or on a turkey sandwich.

Pair with Cheddar, Blue Cheese, and Manchego

Apples Dazzle

Zestar

Zestar: Aug-Sept

Sweet, tart, and crunchy with a hint of brown sugar.

Enjoy raw out of hand or in a green salad, baked into muffins or pies with brown sugar and cinnamon, or roasted with chicken or pork.

Pair with Stilton, Aged Cheddar, and Mimolette

Apples Zestar

Pink Pearl

Pink Pearl: Aug-Sept

Good combination of sweet, tart, and crunch, with a gorgeous rosy pink flesh. 

Enjoy fresh in hand, in salads, on a cheese plate, or dipped in almond butter. Holds shape and color very well when baked so it is excellent for galettes, tarts, or applesauce.

Pair with Parmesan, Asiago, or Aged Gouda

Apples Pink Pearl

Sunrise

Sunrise: Aug-Sept

Crisp apples with sweet-tart flavor and a hint of pear and grape.

This early season variety has a parentage of McIntosh and Golden Delicious, making it excellent for desserts and baking. Good for eating out of hand, but goes soft quickly.

Pair with a mild blue cheese, feta, or chèvre

Tango

Tango: Aug-Sept

 Equal parts sweet and tart with great acidity and a hint of spice. Nice and crunchy.

Best for eating raw as a snack, in a slaw, or salad, or on a cheese plate. May also be used for baking.

Pair with aged Gouda, Goat Cheddar, or Manchego.

Apples Tango

Akane

Akane: Aug-Sept

Dense flesh and a little juicy. Mildly sweet and a little sharp with hints of berries and wine. Good for eating fresh, but excellent for baking, drying, and preserves. Use in a pie with brown sugar, make into applesauce, or stuff and roast them.

Pair with Blue Cheese, Feta, or Queso fresco

Pair with aged Gouda, Goat Cheddar, or Manchego.

Akane Apples

Honeycrisp

Honeycrisp: Early Sept

Crisp and aromatic with a fairly good balance of sweet and tart. 

Excellent eaten raw. Try in a slaw or salad. Holds flavor when baked, and makes very good applesauce

Pair with Oregon Blue, Brie, or Gruyere

Apples Honeycrisp

Jonagold

Jonagold: Mid Sept

Crisp, juicy, and creamy-sweet. Notes of honey, and a little tart too.

Use it in sweet baked goods, such as pies, tarts, muffins, applesauce, jams, and apple butter. Also goes well with pork.

Pair with Mascarpone, Fontina, or Labne

Apple Jonagold

Ambrosia

Ambrosia: Mid Sept

Juicy, sweet, and with a hint of pear. Crisp, fine grained, and does not brown quickly.

Eat fresh in hand, add to salads and slaws, pile thin slices on a turkey panini, or bake into a tart as they hold their shape and flavor well when cooked.

Pair with Brie, Cream Cheese or Cheddar

Apple Ambrosia

Liberty

Liberty: Mid-Late Sept

Sweet-tart, juicy and crisp, with a note of wine. Best eaten just after picking.

Enjoy fresh in hand, in chicken or tuna salad, made into applesauce, or baked into pies, breads, and tarts.

Pair with Mizithra, Blue Cheese, or Cheddar

Apple Liberty

Cox’s Orange Pippin

Cox’s Orange Pippin: Sept-Oct

Aromatic and balanced sweet-tart flavor with notes of spice, honey, and mango. The seeds will often rattle inside the apple when ripe.

Eat them out of hand to enjoy their unique flavor. Traditionally used for cooking and baking. Make a chunky sauce for roasted pork turkey, or duck, or bake into a pie, crisp or cobbler.

Pair with Aged Cheddar, Gouda, or Havarti

Apples Coxs Orange Pippin

Golden Delicious

Golden Delicious: Sept-Oct

Sweet juicy flesh with a tender skin that doesn’t require peeling. Sweeter when grown in cool climates, with notes of honey.

May be eaten fresh, but we like them for baking. Try them in pies, crumbles, sauce, and apple butter. Also good dried or for juice.

Pair with Camembert, Welsh Cheddar, or Manchego.

Apple Golden Delicious

Cosmic Crisp

Cosmic Crisp: Sept-Oct

Very crisp, sweet, and acidic. 

Best for eating raw out of hand. Also try it in a green or chicken salad, on a club sandwich, or juiced.

Pair with Caveman Blue, Welsh Cheddar, and Chevre

Apples Cosmic Crisp

Kanzi

Kanzi: Sept-Oct

Balanced sweet and tart flavors, with an effervescent quality. Very juicy.

Best for fresh eating, in salads and salsas, and on a cheese board. May also be used for pies and tarts as they keep their shape when baking.

Pair with Cambozola, Feta, or Provolone

Apple Kanzi

Cortland

Cortland: Sept-Oct

Incredibly juicy and crisp with a sweet-tart flavor. Best eaten fresh off the tree, as the flavor and crispness will fade with long storage. Since it is slow to brown, it is excellent in salads and cheese plates. Also good for juicing and apple sauce.

Pair with Chevre, Feta, or Roquefort

Apples Cortland

Gala

Gala: Sept-Oct

Sweet and floral flavor with a thin skin and almost creamy flesh. Choose an apple with more red for a sweeter flavor.

Best enjoyed raw in a salad or salsa. Slice thin and serve on a sandwich, burger, or panini.

Pair with Cheddar, Swiss, or Chevre

Apples Gala

McIntosh

McIntosh:  Sept-Oct

Crisp and very juicy with a sweet-tangy flavor and a hint of wine that is often lost in storage. Keep refrigerated to prevent mealiness and loss of flavor. Excellent for juicing and sweet cider, baking, and applesauce.

Pair with Feta, Sharp Cheddar, or Roquefort

Apple McIntosh

Mutsu

Mutsu: Sept-Oct

Aromatic and coarse flesh with a tart-sweet flavor and a hint of spice. Eat them fresh out of hand, in salads, or on a cheese plate. Good for saucing, baking and roasting with all kinds of meats, fish, and mushrooms.

Pair with Gouda, Gruyere, or Taleggio

Apples Mutsu

Orleans Reinette

Orleans Reinette: Mid-Oct

Sweet and citrusy with a dry, crunchy flesh and rough skin.

This apple holds its shape well when cooked, making it excellent for baking. Try it in pies or season with cinnamon and sugar and bake whole. 

Pair with Havarti, Swiss, and Brie

Apples Orleans Reinette

Autumn Glory

Autumn Glory: Oct-Nov

Sweet, firm, crunchy, and very juicy. Tastes like sweet cider. Low in acid.

Very good raw or in baking. Serve with charcuterie, in salads, or just out of hand. Tasty in pies and muffins too. Also good juiced in apple sangria or with whiskey.

Pair with Stilton, Aged Cheddar, or Camembert

 

 

 

Opal

Opal: Oct-Nov

Soft sweet flesh with a slight tart finish. Hints of pear and banana.

Opals don’t brown quickly, so are excellent for fresh eating. Also good in salads, on sandwiches, or in salsas and chutneys.

Pair with Chevre, young Goudas, or a Double Cream Brie

Apples Opal

Sugarbee

Sugarbee: Oct-Nov

Crispy, firm, and very sweet.

Eat raw out of hand, baked into pies and galettes, or in salads, salsas, and slaws.

Pair with Smoked Gouda, Aged Cheddar, or Mimolette

Apples SugarBee

Arkansas Black

Arkansas Black: Oct-Nov

Deep purple and somewhat waxy skin, with an aromatic sweet-tart flesh that softens with storage. Not really great for eating raw. Perfect for baking, roasting, sauteing, and applesauce; or juice them for ciders and jelly.

Pair homemade cider with Double Cream Brie, Lamb Chopper, or Caveman Blue

Arkansas Black Apple (AI Generated Image)

Smitten

Smitten: Oct-Dec

Firm and crisp, with an excellent balance of sweet and acid. This is a staff favorite! 

Enjoy fresh out of hand, or dipped in peanut or almond butter. Holds up well in baking, or roast with chicken or pork.

Pair with Jarlsberg, Muenster, or fried Halloumi

Apples Smitten

Rosalynn

Rosalynn: Oct-Dec

Sweet-tart, firm, and crisp with floral notes and a hint of cherry.

Best eaten raw out of hand, in fruit or chopped salads and slaw. May also be roasted with chicken or added to breakfast sausage. Bakes well in pies and turnovers.

Pair it with Provolone, Cheddar, and Fontina

Apples Rosalynn

Cameo

Cameo: Oct-Dec

Dense and crisp flesh with a good balance of sweet and tart. Notes of both honey and citrus. Good for fresh eating, sandwiches, salads, and snacking. Sweetness is enhanced by cooking, so try them roasted with chicken or pork, in applesauce, or on pizza.

Pair with Goat Cheddar, Colby, and Gruyere

Apples Cameo

Braeburn

Braeburn: Nov

Crisp, sweet and juicy with subtle hints of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Eat raw out of hand or on a cheese plate. Excellent stuffed and baked, roasted with poultry, or baked into pies, muffins, and tarts.

Pair with Camembert, Edam, or Monterey Jack

Apples Braeburn

Piñata

Piñata: Nov-Dec

Crisp and sweet with notes of pineapple and vanilla.

Eat them fresh out of hand, toss them in a chopped salad or on a sandwich. Also good in a stirfry, or baked into pies and crisps.

Pair with Cheddar, Gorgonzola, and Feta

Apples Pinata

Jazz

Jazz: Nov-Dec

Dense and juicy, with a sweet tart flavor and a hint of pear.

Great for baking, holds up well stuffed and roasted, baked into pies, breads and muffins. Also good raw or in salads.

Pair with Goat Brie, Gouda, or Cheddar.

Apple Jazz

Fuji: Nov-Dec

Sweet-tart with thick skin, dense flesh, and mild acid. 

Great for eating raw! Fujis also work well for baking, roasting, sauces, and apple butter.

Pair with Gorgonzola, Fontina, or Havarti cheeses 

Apples Fuji

Pink Lady/Cripps Pink

Pink Lady/Cripps Pink: Nov-Dec

Sweet and tart with notes of honey. Firm and crisp flesh.

Great for eating raw out of hand. Browns slowly, so perfect for a cheese board, in salads or slaws. Good for applesauce or pies.

Pair with Monterey Jack, Swiss, or Aged Cheddar

Apples Pink Lady

Granny Smith

Granny Smith: Dec-Jan

Very tart with a thick skin and dense flesh.

Granny Smiths are the quintessential baking apple! Enjoy in pies, crisps, and cobblers. Roast with pork or chicken, or dip raw slices in almond butter or homemade caramel, or juice for cider.

Pair with Gorgonzola, Feta or Asiago 

Apples Granny Smith

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