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zxcvbob
 
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~patches~ wrote:
> Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>
>> In article >, ~patches~
>> > wrote:
>>
>>
>>> Bunny McElwee wrote:
>>>
>>>> I would like to make some juice for Apple Jelly. I've tried in

>>
>>
>> (snip)
>>
>>> I've had good luck with a variety called L-star. I've made
>>> applesauce, applepie filling and will be using them for pectin. I
>>> would think they would make lovely apple juice. IMO granny smith and
>>> red delicious are not near as good varieties as they used to be. I
>>> always used granny smiths for pies but find the L-star much nicer.
>>> It is a tart smaller apple with a yellowish to red blush. The fruit
>>> is nice and firm.

>>
>>
>>
>> Have you run across Honey Crisps? Fabulous apple! Developed at my U
>> of MN. About $11 for half a peck around here!! Lor, they're good,
>> though!

>
>
> No I haven't run across Honey Crisps. I pay $8 for firsts, $5 for
> seconds for a half bushel and they are cheaper if you pick your own but
> ladders and I don't agree I'm just a tad accident prone and don't
> need anything else bunged up this year. Are they a tart good cooking
> apple? I'm always on the lookout for other varieties since they've
> messed with the granny smith. The L-stars are very good for cooking
> with. You should taste the Apple Maple Jam I just made. Dang that
> stuff is really good! With the cooler weather I'll be making apple
> bread using L-stars. I find they keep the shape better and that's what
> you want in apple bread - nice chunks of apples



I bought a 10 pound bag of Honey Crisp seconds for $10 last weekend and
I've been eating them. I picked thru the bags and got one that had a
lot of large apples in it, and not very many with brown spots. I have a
mature Honey Crisp tree, but it has started blooming only every other
year. Last year it bloomed so much it looked like a white flowering
crabapple tree, and it took me a while to figure out where than faint
rose smell was coming from. So this year, no apples.

I wouldn't use honeycrisp apples for jelly even if they weren't so
expensive. They are too sweet and juicy. A firm tart apple would be a
better choice.

The Honey Golds were not out yet. I'll buy a half a bushel of Honey
Gold seconds (should be $5) for canning, baking, etc.

I've found that if I slice the apples and dip them in a Campden tablet
solution, they don't turn brown and I can store a big bowl of them in
the fridge and they stay pretty and white until the last of them finally
rot 2 weeks later. I used to send apple slices to school in DD's
lunches. One of the mom's (who was convinced her little darling was
allergic to *everything*, despite evidence to the contrary) asked me how
I kept the apple slices fresh. The look on her face was priceless when
I told her I dip them in bisulfite solution. :-)

Best regards,
Bob