DiscussionsLove The Pie

The pretty apples are not always the best apples for pies. My husband's Mom has always made the best pies and finally I discovered a number of years ago that she uses Gravenstein apples. They have a short season, are very hard to find and do not look as pretty as some other apples but the flavor is one you will always remember ! I buy them now, peel, cut and freeze the slices to use at Thanksgiving and Christmas. ( Have bowl of water with lemon juice as you slice to keep them from turning brown. Drain and then freeze.) They do make a pie that has a soft filling and lots and lots of flavor. If you do not like soft apple filling then this would not be your choice for an apple pie.

I've used Granny smith in the past because supposedly the texture is good for baking but sometimes I think it's too tart. I try mixing them with something like red delicious but I think this time I'm going to use those tiny red hard apples unsure what they are called but they are the smallest out there readily available and pretty mild tasting but quite hard so I think it might balance the granny smith.  I hope this will allow me to add less sugar.

Hi Marie1102...I started looking for your apples at the market (gravenstein), but didn't see any.  Are they some kind that I would have to go out of the way to find?

Hi like2cookluv2eat,

Yes, they are very hard to find. They have a short season and groc. stories do not like to carry them because they are not "pretty." I have found them at farmer's markets in S Cal. My Mom in Medford, Oregon went to an orchard and paid 65 cents a pound for some ! I found some at Whole Foods in Santa Monica. They were more than 65 cents a pound ! I know they are grown near San Luis Obispo and around the Russian River near San Franciso. If you do find any you need to know you can peel them , slice them and then freeze them to hold for the holidays.  ( I always have a bowl of water with lemon juice on the side for the slices so they do not turn brown. )I must admit we enjoyed a few baked apples and some apple crisp before I put the rest away to use for Thanksgiving. Good Luck !