Vermont seems somewhat short on fruit. We don’t grow any pineapples, oranges or mangos and the fruit we do get always seems to be so fleeting. The rush to enjoy the short-lived strawberries and scarffing the brief blueberries have become summertime ritual for me. But the true Vermont fruit that I can just sit back and bask in the glory of is the apple. Or rather, the many, many varieties of apples that Vermont produces. Maybe it’s predictable, but I love Vermont’s Honey Crisp. The first time I saw the name, I knew I needn’t look further. To me, the perfect apple is juicy, sweet and crisp. That was a Fuji in my formative years in California, but for my adult self, it’s the Honey Crisp all the way. Well, until they are gone, and then I take great joy in Cortlands.

Honey Crisps don’t tend to make a good cooking apple, because they are so juicy that they will leave your pie swimming and your crisp, well, not. Cortlands, I find do make a better cooking apple and while they are what I use in the bakery, they’re not as popular for that purpose as the classic McIntosh. The McIntosh has a nice tart flavor, and yields a slightly mushier finished product than the Cortland. But there are hundreds of apple varieties growing in Vermont in any given fall, so I highly recommend tasting and cooking with them all and learning which ones suit your cooking needs best.

I was ecstatic to find that Honey Crisps don’t need to be relegated to the eating world alone. They make some of the best homemade applesauce ever! But if you can’t find the delicious orbs that are Honey Crisps, Fujis are a great approximation and Cortlands work just fine. When I make the applesauce below I choose to leave the skins on because I love the added fiber and the flavor. But it does make the applesauce a little pink and definitely changes the texture. So, peel or no peel? I’ll leave the choice up to you!


Homemade Applesauce

4 large Honey Crisp apples
1/4 cup water

1) Peel the apples (if you’d like) and remove the core and seeds. Chop the apples into approximately 1/2 inch cubes.

2) Add the water and apples to a large saucepan and cook over medium heat until the apples are mushy, stirring occasionally.

3) Remove the apples from the heat and mash the apples with a masher until they reach your desired consistency. You can also puree them with an immersion blender to achieve a smoother texture. If you’d like, add Vermont maple syrup and cinnamon, or just enjoy just as they are!