A crispy taste of heaven. . .

I always have high hopes for apples. They always look great--shiny, smooth, firm. Then you bite into them. A mushy, mealy mess can ruin your day. Sometimes it's the whole bag, sometimes just one or two. But after biting a few bad apples, it's hard to trust again. We're lucky enough to live in the "apple belt" of Minnesota, where the climate is just perfect for growing apples. They're harvesting them now, and for an exquisite, perfectly textured, juicy, tart (but not too tart) snacking apple, the Honey Crisp apples are the ones to beat. Although quite spendy, about a buck an apple, there's no other more perfect treat that cheap. In a week or so, my other favorites, Regents, will be available at an even more reasonable price. Of course, you should never buy them from the grocery store--they're already almost ruined by then! Happy munching!