Homemade fresh apple galette on a parchment

Now is the time to make your way to the farmers’ market—or even give yourself a break from the kitchen and go apple picking for a day. The apple harvest is more plentiful than ever right now, and you have so many options to choose from. Dozens of new varieties of apples will be available this fall, just in time to add to your seasonal menu. Here are a couple to look for:

Japanese heirloom: Green Dragon

What’s that wonderful smell? This time of year, it might be the Green Dragons, known to be the most aromatic of apples. This Japanese heirloom variety is also known as Washu 1984. Named for the Chinese symbol for royalty, it’s a sweet, low-acid fruit that has a blend of pineapple and pear flavors. Their firm, crisp texture makes them a good choice for cinnamony baked specials likes pies, muffins, breads and cakes. They’re also terrific chopped into fresh salads and paired with cranberries, pears and strong cheeses.

Non-browning apple: Arctic

As soon as you slice into a fresh conventional apple, it’s a race against time to get that fruit platter to the table before it starts to brown. That’s because when an apple’s cells are disturbed by a knife cut, an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase (PPO) initiates a chemical reaction and the flesh turns brown. But now, with the Arctic apple, there’s a nonbrowning option for your fresh fruit dishes. Even with advance prep times, the apple flesh will stay white. In fact, you can chop up a batch as you’re prepping, toss them in a Cambro, put them on in the walk in and forget about them until it’s time for service.

Dip away

T. Marzetti™ has the dips you need to accompany fresh sliced apples on a charcuterie board, side dish or dessert. Our dips make an easy dramatic drizzle for ice creams and pastries, too. Choose from classic Caramel Apple Dip, Sweet & Salty Caramel Dip and Peanut Butter Caramel Dip. All have been created to bring out the best in the apples, no matter which variety you serve.

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