I had the fun opportunity to try out Opal apples, a special non-GMO apple that advertises that it doesn’t turn brown after it’s sliced!
If you serve an apple to your kids, most likely they won’t eat it once it turns brown, right? This is a dilemma for parents who send sliced fruit to school in their kids’ lunches. But even sending whole fruit in your kids’ lunches may not work – 46 percent of parents find that their kids will take a few bites or none at all!
I have this problem with my kids too – the fruit has to be “perfect” for them to eat it. Even when I explain that the brown is natural, they still don’t want to eat it.
I received a box of Opal apples to try. They were sweet and crispy – they tasted great! Definitely as good as any other apples – but then I did my own browning test.
I sliced up an Opal apple around 9 in the morning, then left it out to sit, exposed to the air.
Then I headed to work after lunchtime, and brought the Opal apple with me. Here it is around 1pm, four hours after being cut.
The apple was definitely not brown! It was not as fresh-looking, but not brown like other apples would be. I asked a random, unknowing person at work to tell me how fresh it looked. They said it looked like it had recently been cut up and was just starting to brown. I told him it was cut 4 hours prior and he was surprised!
Where to find Opal apples
Opal apples are available at Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe’s and Walmart. They are grown exclusively in Washington State and are available for a limited time – learn more on their website here!
Recipes
Try one of the Opal apple recipes, available on their website! For example:
Grilled Cheese with Opal® Apple and Turkey Sandwiches
Ingredients
12 slices multigrain bread
7 ounces turkey deli meat, sliced
7 ounces Swiss cheese, sliced
2 Opal® apples, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter
Directions:
Butter 1 side of 12 slices of bread. In a large skillet over medium heat, place 1 slice of bread, buttered side down. Layer a slice of Swiss cheese, turkey meat and enough slices of Opal® to cover bread. Top with a second slice of bread, buttered side facing up. Flip sandwich when bottom starts to brown, or after 2 minutes. Continue to cook for about 3 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool. Repeat process for remaining sandwiches.
Once cooled, cut sandwiches into 4 equal pieces. Stack on plate and serve.