Do you have a hard time deciding which kind of apple to buy at the grocery store or farmer’s market?? Then it’s time for an apple taste-test! We put four popular organic varieties to the test, and it was SO much FUN!!
First, visit your local farmer’s market or grocery store and choose one or two of each different variety. For the purposes of our taste-test, we choose Fuji, Granny Smith, Red Delicious, and Gala. Apples are on the dirty dozen list, so I try my best to stick to organic or local varieties. We used 1 of each kind of apple, and it was plenty for us. Cut the apples up into slices, and randomly assign a number to each variety (keep their identities hidden).
Put on a blindfold (no peeking!!), and take a bite into each slice. Yum! So scientific… and yet tasty!
Decide which number apple you like the best!
Emily’s scientifically proven favorite was number “3”, in this case, Granny Smith! If you’re feeling particularly ambitious, make up a chart showing everyone’s favorite apple. Are there any clear favorites in your household??
Then, it was time to raid the pantry and fridge for delicious apple dips!! Use whatever you have on-hand, and just a few tablespoons of each dip will do. We tried chocolate hazelnut spread, peanut butter, yogurt (We heart Stonyfield!), honey, and dulce de leche (I’m Argentine, so dulce de leche is a MUST!)
… and the toppings!! Same thing, just use whatever you happen to have on-hand. We tried crushed walnuts, mini-chocolate chips, and coconut…..
…. and some sprinkles (just for fun!)!!
Nom nom nom!! Delicious research… all in the name of *cough* science *cough*.
You may need to check and double-check your results a few times. Not that I did that, or anything… I’m just, you know… I’m just sayin’ …. ahem!
The girls, Mark, and I had SO much FUN with this!! I love how something as simple as $5 worth of apples and a few on-hand items from our pantry could make the girls SO happy!
Such a fun and educational family activity with lots of happiness bang for the buck…
… and plenty of silly smiles too!!
Have fun!!
Dear Valerie,
By the end of the night, I think that Clara had eaten more toppings than apples!
Love,
Mark
True. So true!! Also?? Where are you hiding the dulce de leche???? It appears to have gone missing….
yum!! I love apples! If you ever get see organic honey crisp apples or see them at the farmers market you got to try those!! Delicious! I met the owner of the farm that “invented” them (they are a hybrid) at an apple festival in Hendersonville, NC. They are by far my favorite! We can finally now get them in VA!
Agreed! Honeycrisp apples were developed at the UMN Horticultural school, so we’ve had them around here for a while–they are the BEST apple I’ve ever tasted for eating raw. The patent expired recently, so I’m pretty sure you can get them across the country now. Try them if you can find them!
Oh, I DO LOVE honey crisp apples!!! I hope I can find some of them this year — the last couple of years we’ve been lucky to get them at farmers markets. I’ll be keeping an eye out for them!
We did a taste test for my husband’s birthday with white cheddar popcorn brands (he really likes flavored popcorn) Really fun!
What a GREAT idea!!! 🙂
LOL are you sure Emily’s front tooth didn’t fall out eating apples? Clara is getting so big, love the bandana on her hair. This is a great activity. We would certainly have to do it blindfolded because my 10 year olds know the names of all the apples I buy by sight!
HA!! It seems like that tooth has been gone for ages! I think the blindfolded taste-test makes it a lot more fun (and interesting)! Have fun!!
we did an apple taste test a few weeks ago – all in the name of research! Fabulous fun & yummy findings! My kind of research! I LOVE that you added the toppings – will have to do that next time for sure!
Oh, yes, toppings are a must! You know… for science’s sake… 😉
Too cute! My kids recently discovered that they like toppings on veggies and fruits. My kids like red-skinned apples the best, but I don’t know which brand. We’ll have to do the scientific taste test to figure that out. 🙂
Perfect!! Red apples are very popular around here too! It’s so much fun to experiment with toppings — enjoy!!
My girls would love this. We live 20 mins from a huge apple growing region so this is a happenin’. Valerie a friend and I did this with tea as well – we tried out a bunch of different black teas to see which would be our ‘regular’. We had to have choccy biscuits with the tea..as you say *ahem*.
Oh oh ohhh!!! I LOVE that you did this with tea!!!!!! Nicole, I’m fairly certain you and I were separated at birth. 😉
What a great activity for the holidays. We are huge fans of apples with honey so might research some new honey the next time we are looking for something to do.
What a great idea, Suzi! Have you tried lavender honey?? If you can find it, it’s worth giving a try — I love it in tea, but I’ve never thought to try it with apples. Now you’ve inspired me to give it a go!