Paula Reds are a natural cultivar of the McIntosh apple and one of the first apples of the season. They are crisp, slightly tart and flowery sweet all at the same time.
Store in their paper bag in the refrigerator.
Bill and Andrea at Champlain Orchards are committed to ecological practices and are Eco-Apple certified. Due to the challenges of our Northeast climate, organic certification of apples is incredibly difficult. Their apples are never sprayed; only in the flowering stage are the trees treated using Integrated Pest Management to cut down on the risk of scab. No chemical pesticides are used on the orchards.
We usually get McIntosh apples from Champlain Orchards, but they haven't been available the last couple of months. We tried the Paula Red because it was supposed to be similar & were disappointed. They were just ok.
I ordered these in September thinking they would be really crunchy--but they aren't they are a little on the mushy side. I was really disappointed. In the fall in New England, you want an apple with a good snap to it. Heading to the local farmer's market instead....
These are such a delight! Crisp, white-fleshed and tangy without any sourness. They are the perfect size for a snack or lunchbox. Yum!
