Surprisingly delightful and delicious! Opal apples are plentiful in my local Stop & Shop, which surprised me for December. Apple season here is usually earlier in the Fall. I had never heard of Opal Apples before joining the Bzz campaign and I was very glad to see a nice display of them in the store.
I really loved the appearance of these apples. They're a very pretty, strong yellow with some freckling, very appealing to the eye. I am not a big Golden Delicious apple fan, and neither is my husband, so I wasn't sure how we would like the taste of one of these offspring (Golden Delicious crossed with Topaz). However, they were really great! Crisp, the perfect apple blend of sweet & tart, with a slightly citrusy undertone.
Once you've bitten into the apple the aroma wafts up, gently letting you know that this is one really great apple. I thought my husband was going to be a hard sell on this, but he was intrigued and thought that the non-GMO aspect of the fruit was decidedly in its favor. I decided to test the non-browning theory and gave my daughter some cut apple slices to bring with her to Color Guard practice. She said they stayed fresh, crisp and she loved them.
I bought a large quantity of the apples and made some into an apple pie. They cook up wonderfully. I usually use a combination of apples when I bake a pie, but the pie made entirely of Opal apples was loved by the family.
So far I've shared these apples with my co-workers, fellow volunteers at the animal shelter, my family, and some friends. Everyone has been extremely positive about the taste, the texture, and they are impressed that they are organic. They are also impressed when I tell them how Opal supports the community through their Youth Makes a Difference grants, which support youth-led non-profits involving food, nutrition and agriculture. We re big on that around here, what with the Rutgers Cooperative Extension helping youth to become active in agricultural subjects and activities.
Summation: Positives: Delicious, Able to get them later than the regular northeast growing season, organic, non-GMO, doesn't brown when cut, great for both eating and baking, they give back to the community via the Youth Makes a Difference Grants
Negatives: can't get them year-round, but it's always worth it to wait for a good thing.
