What Makes A Great Baking Apple?

What makes a great baking apple? A great baking apple is an apple that does not break down. It possesses a tougher outer skin. It also has a great balance of sweet and tart to it’s taste.

A great apple available in the fall is the Cortland apple. It is a perfect baking apple as it possesses the tough skin as well as the sweet and tart taste.

It is a cross breed apple from New York. It was developed in 1898 at a New York State Agricultural Experiment Station.

The Cortland apple is named after Cortland County, New York. Also from a Mr. Pierre Van Cortlandt.

Mr. Cortlandt was the president of the convention that wrote the 1st New York State constitution. He also was the first lieutenant governor as well.

Cortland Apples are a juicy apple, which is another reason for it to be a great baking apple. It possesses a sweet taste with a bit of tart in there. The inside of the apple is a white where as some apples are more toward yellow.

Baking is not all these apples are great for. They make great additions to a fruit salad or kabobs or garnishes for other items. How about with crackers and cheese on a plate? Yum!

Picking a great apple can be a bit confusing to some but it is not really. Just place the apple in your palm. Do not squish it with your thumb but feel for firmness and if it feels heavy.

At the grocer, make sure your apple’s skin does not wrinkle too, as it may have been kept in storage too long or not have been cold storage at all.

To keep the Cortands fresh, place them in your frig where it is cool. These apples won’t freeze. I mean unless your frig gets below 28F, then what else did you freeze?

A tip if you are going to have them sitting out for a longer period of time sliced up, rub the slices in a bit of lemon juice. It will keep them from browning up too.

Make sure to visit your local orchard to see what great apples they have. It is fun and a great thing to do with the kids. And it is the best way to taste a fresh apple anytime.