How ‘Bout Them MN Apples? Can You Taste the Difference?

SO MANY MINNESOTA VARIETIES

Apples...They have been my fruit of choice this fall. Every week when I walk into the grocery store, I have decided to pick up a full bag of Minnesota apples; and a different variety each week; I want to know...can you really taste the difference?

WHAT THE TEXTURE TERMS MEAN

Crispy:  Hard when picked. Remains crispier for a longer time.

Hard: Means it stays hard in storage.

Firm: Means it's crispy when picked but loses its crunch as it ripens.

Tender: Crispy when picked but gets softer afterwards.

Soft: If it's soft, it's best for sauces.

MY MOST RECENT APPLE PURCHASES

Over the last 3 weeks, I've purchased Sweet Tango's, Rave Apples, and Zestar.  The question is: Could I tell they were different?

My answer: Absolutely. Shockingly...Yes I could.  Not only in flavor, but in texture.

THE SWEET TANGO

This was the first bag I picked up a few weeks ago. It was crisp, sweet and tart. It had a delicious flavor and I considered it to be nice and juicy. Very taste indeed. Of course, I had nothing to compare it to; but I was thinking..."These are darn good apples." I might eat more of these!

THE RAVE

I have so much to rave about here! It was crisp, tangy, sweet. I really like it but the Sweet Tango stole my heart out of the three bag of apples. Good try Rave. You really are something to Rave about. I think this is definitely an apple for eating; not necessarily for baking.

THE ZESTAR

The Zestar was the next bag of apples. This one was not as sweet as the Sweet Tango. It was actually more soft...and I thought I would like it...but although the flavor was good, I'm not sure if I liked the softer texture. I think may have baked apples for the rest of the bag.  I guess I didn't NOT like it...It just was so much less crispy than the other two. However; I've heard that Zestar can be very crispy, so perhaps this is not perfected yet.

TASTE TESTING

I'm just curious. If you were to taste test some of your favorite apples, do you think you could tell the difference?  I think I would now definitely know if I was eating a crispy variety versus a soft variety. Does it matter? Not really...Apples are amazing and good for you. Do your own taste testing and start a favorite apple journal today!