Mountain Rose Apples From Hood River Organics

Every Thanksgiving we slave over creating the perfect apple pie.

And every year our efforts are outstripped by the always delicious pies of our cousin Becky, who refuses to share her perfect recipe.
Well this year, we have a secret weapon. And we have decided to share: Meet the Mountain Rose apple.

It's not the fruit's solid, sweet-tart flavor or crisp, juicy texture that has us banking on sugary victory this year, though those attributes are certainly ideal. Rather, it's the namesake flesh, which is rose-colored to the core. This reddish stain, which persists even when cooked, demands the central position on your table.

The apples are the project of a small family farm in Oregon called Hood River Organics. The farm has cultivated the rare strain despite its lengthy and difficult growing process, once-a-year harvest and delicate skin (many of the apples become blemished easily).

But the farm's efforts are our rewards. The apple is bracingly acidic with the warm sweetness of strawberries. And the fruit's beauty tops even its flavor.

Hood River Organics is the sole farm producing the Mountain Rose domestically, so supply is limited (click here to buy from Mikuni Wild Harvest).

If envy is green, then revenge is most definitely red.