A handy guide to the most popular apple varieties and their uses
Apples very well might be the perfect fruit. Not only is this fruit sweet, crispy, crunchy, juicy, but it’s also good for you. Apples just so happen to be a great source of fiber, antioxidants and vitamin C. They’re a perfect fall superfood. But if you’ve only eaten Red Delicious apples all your life, then you’ve really been missing out.
Using information from the U.S. Apple Association, a lobbying and advocacy group that represents 7,500 apple growers nationwide, we identified the 15 most popular apple varieties in the country, which account for almost 90 percent of all the apples grown in the country. Here’s a handy guide to what those 15 apples are, what their taste and texture is like and what is the best way to use them based on helpful info from produce wholesaler specialtyproduce.com.
If you’re an apple aficionado, you already know that some apples are best for eating out of hand, while others are best for baking or turning into applesauce. Some are available year-round at every supermarket, while some are only available seasonally at farmers markets and local fruit stands. There are about 200 unique apple varieties grown in the United States, according to the U.S. Apple Association, but these are 15 that you really should know about.
