In the dead of winter, there is one fruit that is flourishing at the Columbia Greenmarket – apples! The market, operated by GrowNYC, is open twice a week, year-round, outside of the gates of Columbia University. In the winter, apples seem to take over the market! You can find not only plain apples, but also locally produced apple products. Farmers sell everything from applesauce to apple pie to dried apple rings to apple biscotti! It’s a festival of tasty apple treats.
Today I had the opportunity to speak with one of farmers at Breezy Hill Orchards, who was selling a mere 15 varieties of apples at the market. He had everything from the traditional Granny Smith and Fuji to lesser known varieties like the Buckeye Gala and the Idared.
When asked about the different kinds of apples, “The Idared is a really nice apple. It’s tender, tart, and aromatic. The Granny Smith is popular too. It’s a perfect balance of sweet and tart, and it’s very juicy. The Jona Gold is popular as well. That’s the perfect apple to use for desserts. It’s sweet and is perfect for apple pie.”
Have you ever tried to put lemon juice on your apples, or used some other tricks so they wouldn’t turn yellow when cut and served? “The Cortland apple is the one you want if you’re making fruit salad or putting apple on any salad really,” said the Breezy Hill Orchards farmer. “It doesn’t yellow – it stays white much longer than other apples.”
photo property of Breezy Hill Orchards
Who knew how many varieties of apples existed, the differences between them, and which was good for what! When asked the most popular among customers, “Oh, that would be our Honey Crisp apple. But we don’t have that one today – hopefully next week.” That is one apple I can’t wait to take a bite out of!
