If fruits were seasons, apples would surely be autumn.
A long with a Sunday tailgate picnic before the game, admiring the rainbow of colors of the quickly changing leaves, enjoying the aroma and crackle of a fire, the crisp, sweet-tart taste of a variety of robust apples is one of the pleasures of the season.
And since October is National Apple Month, now is a perfect time to take a big bite of the fall fruit.
Eaten out of hand or enjoyed in a selection of side dishes and baked delights, the versatile apple will carry memories of a sunny orchard home to your table in the cold-weather months.
Apples can be found by the pound or bushel at Linville Orchards in Media. According to Jeff Koenig, director of retail operations, five acres out of the 300-acre orchard are devoted to raising apples, from the summer cooking varieties, such as Summer Rambo and Henry Clay, to the more familiar fall types like MacIntosh, Jonathan, Red Delicious and Stayman Winesap.
"During the summer, the Rambos were big sellers because the kids liked the name," laughed Koenig. "But they are not good eating apples."
"The green summer apples are best used in cooking. The apple harvest begins in late July and continues through mid-October. But because of cold storage, we can keep apples crisp and fresh for much longer, up to three months, so our customers can eat them almost all year long."
"We are not a pick-your-own orchard," he continued, "because our trees are too big. But we still always have apples at a good price. And, some of our apple crop winds up as apple cider, which constitues 10 percent of our business."
Koenig said that one bruise does not spoil the whole apple.
"While a bruised apple isn't the most appealing to eat, it can still be used in cooking or baking, after the bruise has been cut away."
And while a basket of rosy apples may look pretty on the kitchen table, Koenig advises that the refrigerator is the best place to store this fall bounty.
Dave Hodge, whose family owns and operates Highland Orchards in West Bradford Township, outside of West Chester, says apples can also be stored in the coldest part of the house.
"When people come here to pick their own apples, many times the refrigerator gets well-packed with apples," Hodge explained. "Even a humid, moist basement is fine. Apples give off oxygen and moisture so just put them in a plastic bag and keep the extra apples there. In our cold storage, we keep water on the floor for extra moisture.
