A walk through our produce section makes two things clear: fall is here, and so are apples! In addition to classics like Gala and McIntosh, we have many varieties you might not see in a typical grocery store. Our Produce Department works directly with ecologically-minded local farms like Champlain Orchards and Scott Farms in Vermont, and Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative in Pennsylvania. These farms grow a variety of apple species that support the local ecology by promoting biodiversity. While we recommend trying them all out, we thought we’d provide a little context to inform your choices in cooking and snacking.

Applications for Apples

If you’re looking for the perfect baking apples, we have a number of great options. Yellow with a pink blush, Honeycrisp apples live up to their title in both texture and sweetness. They work well baked into pies, crumbles, and other desserts. Their crisp texture also makes them ideal raw in salads and coleslaw.

For a great raw apple snack, the gala apple really shines. One of the sweetest apples, Galas pack some of the best nutritional value, containing vitamins A, C, and B in and pectin. Eat them raw or add them diced up to salads, salsas, and chutneys. Similar to Galas, we also carry the Sansa apple. Sansas are a Japanese species that are complexly sweet and mildly tart. They contain important nutrients like potassium and dietary fiber, and are a perfect snacking apple eaten fresh and raw.

Juicy and lightly tart, Paula Reds are a dusty red apple with gold spots. They break down quickly and easily, and are ideal for applesauce and apple butter. Similarly, McIntosh apples have a delicate flesh and spicy flavor that makes them ideal for cider and applesauce.