Tools of Taste

By Lynn Patterson

Welcome Autumn and the glorious bounty it has to offer. Vibrant foliage, pleasant temperatures both day and night and the streamline of automobilesheading to the farms and orchards plentiful of the seasons harvest.

Make way for apples, corn stalks, pumpkins and gourds, fall plants and bales of hay that are stuffed in, tiedon top of the car or carted away by trailer to adorn our homes artfully. Then off to picking apples, selecting a few of many varieties, never remembering which was what, but always thrilled by the hunt.  Freshly picked in the orchard, these types of apples are versatile and readily available.

Name	Best Uses	Characteristics
Braeburn	Sauce	Tart, sweet, aromatic, tall shape, bright color.
Cortland	Pies, Sauces, Tart, crisp, larger than	Fruit Salad  larger than McIntosh.
Fuji	Baking	Sweet and juicy, firm, red skin.
Gala	Dried, Cider	Mild, sweet, juicy, crisp, yellow-orange skin with red striping.
Granny Smith	Baking	Moderately sweet, crisp flesh, green skin.
Jonagold	Pie, Sauce	Tangy-sweet, yellow top, red bottom
Jonathan	Sauce	Tart flesh, crisp, juicy, bright red on yellow skin.
McIntosh	Sauce	Juicy, sweet, pinkish-white flesh, red skin.
Newtown Pippin	Pie, Sauce	Sweet-tart flesh, crisp, greenish-yellow skin.
Rhode Island Greening	Pie	Very tart, distinctively flavored, grass-green skin, tending to yellow/orange.
Rome Beauty	Baking, Cider	Mildly tart, crisp, greenish-white flesh, thick skin.
Winesap	Sauce, Pie Cider	flavor, winey, aromatic, sturdy, red skin.

Lynn Patterson is a member of GCW and is a professional pastry chef.