Rave® Apples: An Apple to Rave About

The information and photography for this post was provided by our partner, Stemilt Growers. 

There’s a lot to love about Fall: a break from the heat, all things pumpkin spice and, of course, delicious seasonal produce, like apples, that reach their peak as the temperature cools.

Stemilt Growers’ newly-released Rave® Apple will make its annual return to Heinen’s Produce Department this August. Rave® Apples like the summer heat and mature up to two – three weeks earlier than other apples. It has a beautiful bright red-over-yellow color and that infamous Honeycrisp bite we all know and love. Rave® is also outrageously juicy with a refreshing snappy zing, which makes it the perfect late summer apple.

So, what is a Rave® Apple and what makes it rave-worthy?

Developed through traditional cross-pollination as a part of the University of Minnesota’s apple breeding program, these bite-able beauties are outrageously juicy with a a refreshing zappy zing. A cross between the well-known Honeycrisp apple and the early-ripening MonArk, the resulting Rave® Apple is best identified by its perfectly round shape and gorgeous bright red skin.

It’s best to grab a bushel soon because the season for these apples is incredibly short. In fact, in late July, a mere 3 weeks before any other Washington State variety is harvested, our friends at Stemilt Growers in Wenatchee, Washington can be found picking Rave® Apples from the trees and sending them to us in throughout August and September.

Rave® Apples are best when paired with fresh foods that do not require cooking with heat. We recommend pairing these apples with cheese or fresh greens for a perfectly delicious light snack.

So, what are you waiting for? Let’s make the start of Fall something to to rave about by biting into Rave® Apples!