An Apple A Day…
We love apples at Indiana Market & Catering. Apples are low in sodium and calories, have no fat and are high in fiber. They also taste great! Here are some of the Indiana Market & Catering’s staff’s favorite picks for the fall:
Alex, our planner extraordinaire, went with a more traditional choice: Red Delicious. Good-quality Red Delicious apples will be firm with smooth, clean skin and have a rich red color that is sometimes streaked lightly with yellow or with a yellow cheek. Test the firmness of the apple by holding it in the palm of your hand. It should feel solid and heavy, not soft and light. Avoid Red Delicious apples with soft or dark spots. Also if the apple skin wrinkles when you rub your thumb across it, the apple has probably been in cold storage for too long. Fresh Red Delicious Apples are available from September through December while cold storage product is available the rest of the year.
Our production manager Chris, a consummate foodie, was hard pressed to choose his favorite type of apple. So many choices so little time! Chris finally settled on Fuji apples. Believed to be named after Japan’s Mt. Fuji, these apples are typically very large and round, on average the size of a baseball. They have a dense flesh that is sweeter and crispier and have a very long shelf life compared to other apples, even without refrigeration. With refrigeration, Fuji apples can remain fresh for up to 5-6 months! That’s whole lot of apple goodness.
Our banquet manager Rabia didn’t even hesitate – “Gala apples are the best – plain and simple!” Gala apples were developed in New Zealand and are a cross between a Golden Delicious and a Kidd’s Orange Red. Gala apples are small and are usually red with a portion being greenish or yellow-green, vertically striped. Gala apples are fairly resistant to bruising and are sweet, grainy, with a mild flavor and a thinner skin than most apples. Quality indices include firmness, crispness, and sweetness
Here’s some of the other apples our staff love: Arkansas Black Twig, Courtland, Crispin, McIntosh, Granny Smith (Kathleen says yum!!), McIntosh and Northern Spy.
