Apr

Opal Apples – peace. love. quinoa

Apr 15

A few years ago, I stumbled upon the Standard Market in Westmont, IL, it’s a cute little market that I honestly don’t remember much about besides it being the place that I had my first run-in with the Opal Apple. The Opal is sunny, and ripe and more yellow than any other apple I’ve ever seen before. I was so stunned by the beautiful, brilliant color, I took a photo and immediately posted it on instagram (I thought I was so cool for finding something new that no one else had seen before) Actually, to be honest, I kind of freaked out at how cool those apples were – I did an internal freakout so don’t worry, no one thought I was crazy. Don’t ask me why this memory is still vibrant after 2 years. Fruits (ahem, apples) excite me, ok?

Sure, the Opal apples are beauties (flawless, if you ask me) but they tasted even better than they looked. They are crunchy, sweet (really sweet, actually,) and slightly tangy. Honeycrisp apples are some of my favorites because they are juicy, sweet, and crispy – but step aside, Honeycrisp – the Opal Apple is giving you some competition.

So anyway, back to my story about the grocery store – it ended. The story, that is. I didn’t see those apples again for 2 years. I honestly never thought I’d see them again. Until a few weeks ago when I spotted these gems at Sprouts. And anyway, since we’re talking about grocery stores, I find it necessary to tell you that my home is about 3 blocks from the busiest Sprouts Farmers Market in the United States. See, reading my blog makes you smarter.

Every time I go to Sprouts, I’m afraid I won’t see the Opal apples, I’m afraid they’ll disappear (like that one time…) but they haven’t. Today, I read that they are in season from November to March so I think they’ll be disappearing soon. (Don’t worry, I’ve stocked up.)

A few facts about the Opals that I found today –
1. These apples are totally non-GMO (win!!)
2. The Opal apple was introduced to the USA in 2010 and is grown exclusively at Broetje Orchards in Prescott, WA. (I’d love to visit that orchard – vaca!!)
3. These apples don’t brown after cutting them. (I noticed that, without noticing it – if you know what I mean…)
4. Other cool stuff
5. These apples are perfect for eating raw (crunch, crunch) OR in a salad, but they also hold up well when you bake with them. I used them in some carrot cake oatmeal cookies (recipe soon!) and they ROCKED my socks.

I googled around other blogs and websites written about the Opal Apple while writing this post and I notice that some bloggers got a paid sponsorship to write posts about these apples! Lucky ducks! No one paid me to write this post, I did it simply because I’m in love… “what’s love got to do with it”, you ask? Not money. Crunch.

Sources: serious eats, The Healthy Voyager, Social Cafe Mag, Opal Apples, Pinch Of Yum

Tagged with → Apple • fruit • healthy • Opal • Opal Apples