The picture above is of the Columbia River in Wentachee, Washington. I took a trip there last month. Even thought it wasn’t time for apples yet, I got to learn first hand why Washington grows so many of our nation’s apples. I share all about that in the first episode of the new season of the podcast - Apples from Yesterday to Tomorrow.

* 🍎 I keep a running 🍎✅❌ Buy & Skip Apple Guide, which is a list of apples based on what I’m actually seeing in stores right now—what’s worth the price, and what isn’t, so you don’t waste your money on disappointing apples. Paid subscribers get access to it, updated throughout the year as quality changes. You’ll also get access to my apple e-book and store guides, which break down how I find and evaluate different varieties in real-world grocery shopping.

Not ready to commit? You can try it out with a 7-day free trial.

If you listened to last week’s podcast episode, you might be very confused by the title of this week’s episode. Last week I was all about sharing Why Summer is a Bad Time for Apples. But this week I am saying it’s a good time for apples. That’s because summer is really the best of times and the worst of times when it comes to apples. It all comes down to the season actually starting in the summer.

Next month we will have the earliest apple varieties being harvested (Transparent and Lodi!)! Isn’t that wild!

Take a listen to today’s episode and find out why summer is a Jekyll and Hyde season for apples, so you can have the complete picture of buying apples in the summer.

The 2025-2026 season of the podcast is winding down now. Only a few episodes left before the July break. As we are a few days away from the first day of summer, I wanted to do an episode that I am calling “Why Summer is a Bad Time for Apples”. I will share my thoughts on what the cons of summers are for fresh apple eating.

You’ll want to take a listen to see what apples I can still recommend this time of year.

* Want to know what other fruits besides apples are good this month? Check out my post - 🍓 June Fruit Picks: Apples & Beyond (What’s Worth Buying Now)

Finishing up my series on the apple tree I am planting this season and this one my surprise you. It is a crap apple.

I have talked about a few different crab apples before here on Substack as well as on my blog. Apples like the Dolgo Crab, Kerr, and Chestnut Crab. I love these small sized apple as you get a nice bite of the skin every single time, plus they are super flavorful. The Kerr and Chestnut are great for out of hand eating because they have a sweet-tart flavor, the Dolgo is a bit tart for my liking but I enjoyed it last year when I made apple jelly with it.

🍎 I keep a running 🍎✅❌ Buy & Skip Apple Guide, which is a list of apples based on what I’m actually seeing in stores right now—what’s worth the price, and what isn’t, so you don’t waste your money on disappointing apples.

Paid subscribers get access to it, updated throughout the year as quality changes.

You’ll also get access to my apple e-book and store guides, which break down how I find and evaluate different varieties in real-world grocery shopping.

Not ready to commit? You can try it out with a 7-day free trial.

Welcome to the 2nd episode in a short series where I am sharing about the trees I am planting and why I choose them. I think any good home orchard needs to have a powerhouse baking apple. When I had the chance to pick out a Rhode Island Greening apple tree, I couldn’t pass it up. This old heirloom variety is one of my favorite pie apples of all time, plus they aren’t easy to find, so why not grow one right in the backyard!

Take a listen to today’s episode to learn more about it as well as my blog post on Rhode Island Greening apples to find out where you can find them when they are in season.

🍎 I keep a running 🍎✅❌ Buy & Skip Apple Guide, which is a list of apples based on what I’m actually seeing in stores right now—what’s worth the price, and what isn’t, so you don’t waste your money on disappointing apples.

Paid subscribers get access to it, updated throughout the year as quality changes.

You’ll also get access to my apple e-book and store guides, which break down how I find and evaluate different varieties in real-world grocery shopping.

Not ready to commit? You can try it out with a 7-day free trial.

Welcome to the 2nd episode in a short series where I am sharing about the trees I am planting and why I choose them. I think any good home orchard needs to have a powerhouse baking apple. When I had the chance to pick out a Rhode Island Greening apple tree, I couldn’t pass it up. This old heirloom variety is one of my favorite pie apples of all time, plus they aren’t easy to find, so why not grow one right in the backyard!

Take a listen to today’s episode to learn more about it as well as my blog post on Rhode Island Greening apples to find out where you can find them when they are in season.

🍎 I keep a running 🍎✅❌ Buy & Skip Apple Guide, which is a list of apples based on what I’m actually seeing in stores right now—what’s worth the price, and what isn’t, so you don’t waste your money on disappointing apples.

Paid subscribers get access to it, updated throughout the year as quality changes.

You’ll also get access to my apple e-book and store guides, which break down how I find and evaluate different varieties in real-world grocery shopping.

Not ready to commit? You can try it out with a 7-day free trial.

Welcome to the 2nd episode in a short series where I am sharing about the trees I am planting and why I choose them. I think any good home orchard needs to have a powerhouse baking apple. When I had the chance to pick out a Rhode Island Greening apple tree, I couldn’t pass it up. This old heirloom variety is one of my favorite pie apples of all time, plus they aren’t easy to find, so why not grow one right in the backyard!

Take a listen to today’s episode to learn more about it as well as my blog post on Rhode Island Greening apples to find out where you can find them when they are in season.

🍎 I keep a running 🍎✅❌ Buy & Skip Apple Guide, which is a list of apples based on what I’m actually seeing in stores right now—what’s worth the price, and what isn’t, so you don’t waste your money on disappointing apples.

Paid subscribers get access to it, updated throughout the year as quality changes.

You’ll also get access to my apple e-book and store guides, which break down how I find and evaluate different varieties in real-world grocery shopping.

Not ready to commit? You can try it out with a 7-day free trial.

In a couple of weeks I will be picking up some apple trees to plant myself. This will actually be the first time I have ever planted an apple tree myself. I am excited to give it ago. I choose 5 different apple varieties to plant and will be sharing with you why I picked each one and why I think that apple variety is worth your attention if you see them to buy.

The first apple is the Roxbury Russet. It was one of my favorite heirloom apples and I am interested to see how the trees do from year to year. Take a listen to today’s episode to learn more about why and also check out what I wrote about Roxbury Russet on my blog.

🍎 I keep a running 🍎✅❌ Buy & Skip Apple Guide, which is a list of apples based on what I’m actually seeing in stores right now—what’s worth the price, and what isn’t, so you don’t waste your money on disappointing apples.

Paid subscribers get access to it, updated throughout the year as quality changes.

You’ll also get access to my apple e-book and store guides, which break down how I find and evaluate different varieties in real-world grocery shopping.

Not ready to commit? You can try it out with a 7-day free trial.

I have to say that there are apple varieties out there that I don’t pay enough attention to. They are good apples but I get distracted with other varieties. Well today we are going to give some much-needed attention to the delicious, tart-yet-sweet, Crimson Topaz apple. Learn all about this apple variety and some cool facts in this week’s podcast episode.

🍎 I keep a running 🍎✅❌ Buy & Skip Apple Guide, which is a list of apples based on what I’m actually seeing in stores right now—what’s worth the price, and what isn’t, so you don’t waste your money on disappointing apples.

Paid subscribers get access to it, updated throughout the year as quality changes.

You’ll also get access to my apple e-book and store guides, which break down how I find and evaluate different varieties in real-world grocery shopping.

Not ready to commit? You can try it out with a 7-day free trial.

* Have you ever wondered how I find all these different apple varieties? I explain it in this podcast episode:

I have not been shy to share how much of a fan of smaller apples I am. I love the skin to flesh ratio you get in a smaller apple. This week I am sharing about one of my favorite small apples - the Pixie Crunch apple. Learn why if you like a flavorful sweet, small apple, you need to add this one to your must try list.

You don’t see a lot of small apples in the grocery store. But we do have the Rock-It apple that is marketed as a small apple. Pixie Crunch is way better in my opinion, and we need to push to get it in more grocery stores.

* Want to know what apples are worth buying right now and which ones you should skip? Check out 🍎✅❌ The Buy & Skip Apple Guide for Today. This guide is updated regularly throughout the year. It is an exclusive for my paid subscribers. You can check it out for free with a 7-day free trial.