How do you like them apples?

Jared and I were watching The Dr. Oz Show a few weeks ago (go ahead and laugh, pals, but that show is addicting), and one of the segments talked about “the worst foods in your kitchen.” The tagline alone was enough to keep us hooked through the commercial break, and though the staffer who coined that “worst foods” phrase was being a touch overdramatic, we did learn a few things (at least enough to make us feel a bit less guilty about spending a weekday afternoon with a pot of coffee and talk shows).

By the time we reached the third “worst food” in your kitchen, a theme had begun to develop. The gist of the segment was that pesticides, herbicides and all the other scary chemicals they spray on our foods are bad news bears. They kill bugs and then kill your insides. Bleck.

One culprit (or carrier, perhaps) that Dr. Oz talked about specifically was the apple. According to the doc, a good rule of thumb with apples is that the better they look, the worse they are for you (it’s actually the smaller, uglier apples with less-than-perfect color and not so much shine that are usually free of the waxes and chemicals that coat the other guys).

So on our next trip to the grocery store, we followed doctor’s orders and ignored the shiny beauts proudly displayed at the front of the produce section. After wading past the lookers, we landed on some little organic Honey Crisp apples with splotchy coloring and less-than-shiny skin (see photo above). Perhaps we were jaded by Oz adoration, but Jared and I both agreed that they tasted like they were just picked from the tree. They were sweet and juicy and perfectly crunchy. Yep, we are officially organic Honey Crisp fans. And even without a chemical-induced facelift, they’re still pretty cute. Don’t you think?

So we’re fully embracing this uglier-is-better mentality when it comes to our apple consumption, and it just so happens that my mom is ready to test our newfound convictions. When we arrived at my parents’ house last night, she had a full bag of these waiting for us. Are you ready? Check them out.

Aren’t those the craziest things you’ve ever seen? The parents of one of my little bro’s soccer buddies have a bunch of apple trees, and my mom picked these for Jared and I to experiment with. They’re Arkansas Black Apples, and apparently they make amazing pies and applesauce (but they’re not so great raw, FYI).

So guess what I’ll be making this week? Stay tuned for some apple pie awesome and applesauce experimentation in the coming days. I’ll let you know if these bad boys are as good as they [don’t] look.

And while we’re at it, does anyone have a good recipe for applesauce? I’m a total newbie in the applesauce-making department, so I’d love to hear your suggestions!

XO,
Katrina