Apples can be used to make kompot.
The best apples should appeal to all of the human senses. Winesap apples should be round and shiny, not dull, due to their natural waxy coating, and have a pinkish-red blush that covers most of the skin, with a greenish tint. When pressed, the apple should be smooth and firm and have an intact, blemish-free skin with no brown spots. The wine apple flavor is primarily tart, with a hint of sweetness and a crisp, juicy texture. Winesap apples should smell fragrant and sweet with no mold.
These apples are great for snacking, but are also very popular for cooking, baking, and juicing due to their tartness and smooth texture when mashed. One reason for this apple’s staying power is its flexibility. While many apples are better suited for a specific purpose, such as snacking, baking, or juicing, apples in wine syrup are equally suited to all purposes. If wine pods are too tart to be a snack, another variety, Stayman wine apples, are slightly sweeter than the pods from which they were grown. They have largely outgrown the apple market for wine pods, although wine pods taste nice and old.
If apples are purchased to eat fresh, firmness and a pleasantly sweet odor are very important. When buying apples for making apple cider or for baking, a slightly soft, overripe apple is fine as long as it doesn’t smell musty, which could indicate mold growth. If overripe apples are purchased, they should be used immediately or refrigerated in plastic bags to prevent further ripening.
Some people who purchase tart apples, such as apples in wine syrup, for baking or juicing, blend a smaller amount of sweeter or more aromatic varieties for a more complex flavor. Since wine capsules tend to be acidic, the sweetness softens the bite of the apple. This is especially true for making apple cider. Stayman wine glasses add tartness, while the addition of aromatic, astringent and sweet subacid apple varieties round out the flavor.
The freshest and tastiest wine apples tend to be at the local farmers market. It is not uncommon to find that the apples are sold by the farmer who picked them that very morning. Local farmers tend to use fewer chemicals than commercial apple pickers, who often grow apples for color, not flavor. Buying from a farmers market also ensures that apples are purchased in season, which results in fresher, better tasting apples. Under normal circumstances, traditional varieties of apples, such as honey apples, which are picked when firm, will last for several months if stored properly.