Love My Philly

Apples are available year-round, but it is the newly harvested fall crop that is the freshest and best tasting.
Ranging in flavor from sweet to tart, locally grown U.S. apples are at their peak now
through November. So, pick up some apples (at your local grocery store or off a tree at an orchard) and add a touch of autumn to your salads, snacks, sandwiches, main dishes and desserts. Here are some tasty tips once you’ve brought them home:

• Wash apples just before using. They may be eaten peeled or unpeeled.
• To core apples, quarter them lengthwise and use a paring knife to carefully remove the seeds and core.
• Prevent cut apples from turning brown by dipping them in a small amount of lemon or other citrus juice.

If adding apples to a salad, the acid in the salad dressing also prevents them from browning.
Here’s a tip: When baking whole apples, remove a 1/2-inch-wide horizontal strip of peel from around the
center of each apple. This prevents the skin from cracking by allowing the steam to escape during baking.
If stuffing the baked apple, remove the core with an apple corer. (Taken from http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/CookingSchool/FoodBasics/SeasonalProduce/Apples.asp)