APPLES

Apples are a very common fruit and yet I find myself confused about which are the best to eat and which are the best for cooking and baking. I've done a bit of research so let's rediscover the apple together!
Red Delicious- these apples are bright red with small orange dots and sometimes even striped. They are sweet and crispy and excellent for eating and salads.
Fuji- These apples originated in Japan and are a cross between a red delicious and another apple of Japan. They are similar in coloring to the red delicious but instead of heart shaped they are rounder and a little lighter in coloring. They are even sweeter than the red and crispy. They stand up better than the red for cooking and baking, yet still very good in salads and in eating. They are available from October to August.
Gala- These apples have the traditional apple shape and are orange and pinkish stripes over yellow. They come from New Zealand and are a cross between a Golden Delicious and a Cox's Orange Pippin. They are crisp, sweet and very fragrant, and are excellent in salads and sauces, for eating and are considered very good for baking and pies. They are available from August to May.
Braeburn- The braeburn comes from New Zealand and is kind of orange-pink over yellow. It is considered very flavorful even described as sweet and spicy. It's crisp and is very good for all apple uses. It is available from October thru July.
Jonagold- This is a very round apple with a orange red color. It's parents are the Johnathon and Golden Delicious. They are from New York originally and are described as crisp and sweet with a tart taste. They are said to be excellent for eating, pies, salads, and baking, and are available from September thru April.
Cripps Pink- True to their name, this apple is pinkish in color, and originates from Australia. It's parents are the Lady Williams and the Golden Delicious. It is firm, crisp, sweet, and tart even tangy. It is excellent for eating, salads, pies, and sauces, and very good for baking. It is available from November thru August.
Cameo- These are from Washington and are very tart and crunchy. These apples have white spots and are excellent for all apple uses. They are available from October thru August.
Golden Delicious-These apples are from West Virginia originally and are yellow in color. The taste is sweet and although they are not as crispy as the reddish varieties, they seem to keep their flesh color longer. They are considered excellent for all apple uses and are available all year around.
Granny Smith-These green apples are my favorite from Australia and are very tart and crisper than other varieties. They are available all year around and are considered excellent for all apple uses.
McIntosh- This apple is slightly tart and very juicy. It's very good for eating, salads, and sauces and good for baking pies.
Johnathans- These are sweet and spicy and great for all apple uses.
Romes- These apples come originally from Ohio and are the roundest of all the apples. They are sweet and the best for baking because they hold up their taste and shape better than any other variety.

One medium apple has about 80 calories, no fat, 170mg of potassium, 22g of carbs, 5g fiber and 16 sugar.
Different studies on apple eating suggests that they may help to improve lungs, help to ward off cancer, and are perfect for weight loss!
There are soooo many recipes for apples, but I have recently become hooked on my version of Waldorf Salad.
To make the salad, I cubed and peeled both red delicious and granny smith apples, cut some red seedless Welches grapes in half, chopped very fine some celery, and threw in some chopped walnuts. For the dressing I used some light mayo with an equal amount of light sour cream. The flavors all work together very well and just burst in your mouth!MMmmmm!