17 Fall Apple Recipes That Are Ripe For The Picking (2024)

FAQs

What can I make with unripe apples? ›

For the best pies, crisps, and other baked treats, apples need to be firm enough to hold their own during the cooking process. We call these apples “baking apples” and to namedrop, they include Braeburn, Cortland, Honey Gold, Jonathan, Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, Haralson, and Newtown Pippin.

You could also make applesauce, apple butter or apple jelly. You could put them in muffins, crumbles and cakes. You could layer them in sandwiches. You could roast them with sausages or toss them into kale salad.

Place apple into a large pot. Add water to just cover - about 4 cups. Bring to boil, then simmer - use a potato masher to mash them as soon as they are soft enough. Continue to cook on low for 15 mins, stirring occassionally.

Unlike some fruits, apples continue to ripen long after they are picked off the tree. This ripening (or over-ripening) affects the texture not the taste of the fruit. (i.e. they won't get sweeter just softer). This ripening is due in large to a harmless, colorless gas that apples emit called ethylene.

There are a few apples that don't make the cut. While great for snacking, Gala, Fuji and Red Delicious are the most common apples that won't hold up in the oven and will give you a watery-mushy pie, tart or cake.

If you have a sweet tooth, you're going to want to head over to the other end of the scale where you'll find the Fuji, Honeycrisp, Ambrosia™, Gala, Golden Delicious, and Red Delicious apples. These sweeter apples contain more natural sugars and can hide any tart flavors even if they are more acidic!

Sweeter apples such as Fujis or Galas are more likely to hold their flavor than tart varieties, but any apple will do fine in the freezer for six to nine months. Perhaps more important to keep in mind, though, is that freezing an apple does alter the texture, leaving the flesh spongier than that of a fresh apple.

How do you preserve too many apples? ›

To prep apples for freezing, peel, core, and slice or dice them, depending on how you plan to use them. Place the cut apples on a parchment-lined baking sheet, then freeze until firm, about an hour. Transfer the cold apples to a zip-top freezer bag or container and freeze for up to three months.

Any kind of apple can be frozen. You can freeze cooking apples and eating apples using the same method: freeze them sliced or whole on a baking tray, then transfer them to freezer bags for long-term cold storage.

Pink Ladies and Granny Smiths are our go-to baking apples, but you can choose any kind you like as long as it has a firm texture and a good bit of acidity.

Unripe apples are not a culinary highlight of the year, but they do have one great asset. Pectin. Like the super-sour crab apple, these dropped fruits are full of pectin and when tempered with sugar they are also light on flavour. As such they can be used in preserves to produce a beautiful herb jelly.

Green apples feature an impressive amount of vitamins and minerals that help your body function optimally and contribute to your overall well-being. B vitamins, like B6 and folate, play essential roles in energy production and cell division. Green apples are a great source of Vitamin A, which aids in vision health.

“Don't be fooled by some windfalls!”

Unripe apples cannot be used in cider making so be sure to check your apples are ripe before picking the whole crop. Here's how: Pick an apple from the tree, and cut it in half. The pips will tell you if the apples are ready or not.

If you're really in a rush, try making a pie, relish or chutney. Cut the fruit into smaller-than-usual pieces to help it break down and add a little extra sugar to the filling.