Move Over, Pink Lady

I've got a new apple obsession:
The Opal.

You've never tried one of these sweet, delectable, juicy fruits?!  For shame.  Wait, you've never even HEARD of this variety of apple until now?!  Well, you're not alone.  However, you HAVE been missing out, my friend!
They were discovered in Europe at the end of the 20th century (sounds so cool, even though it was only like 10 or 11 years ago).  Rockin' thing is that the Opal launched just this year (here in the U.S.), and is exclusively grown by Broetje Orchards (pronounced: Bro-chee), which is a stone's through from where we live.  Their apples are ALWAYS the best, but the Opal by far has all the others on the market completely beat!!!  Trust me, I'm practically an apple-ologist now!

What makes them so fab?  Their texture is sublime.  No mush here.  Nice crunch to it, sweet but not pucker-your-face sweet (nor that tart, either).  The color is heaven to me.  Like the perfect sunrise.  Golden, buttery yellow with a little blush here & there.  Just lovely.  BONUS: when they're sliced for kids' lunches, they're less prone to the brown oxidization you see in most apples.  LOVE IT!  No need for wiping the slices with lemon juice any longer.  =)  Turns out, we can thank its ancestors for this apple's loveliness.  The Opal is a cross between a Golden Delicious (which used to be tied with the Pink Lady & the Honeycrisp as my #1 faves) & a Topaz.  Both of those originals are fab apples in their own right; though I'm MOST grateful for their bi-product.  It has made my life of apple-eating that much richer, more exciting, and now not something I'm ready to pitch to the curb.  (Gotta admit, the allergies have had me seeing red towards a lot of the foods I have been eating since there's not much variety in what's ok....today I'm re-dedicated/reborn!)

Wanna taste for yourself what all the raving's about? Our local Yoke's Fresh Market is currently carrying them.  They're the only one's I am aware of yet.  So, pop on over & give  them a whirl.  You won't regret it.  And I promise, your body will thank you for your new-found apple obsession too!  =D

P.S.
Guess what else is so cool about Broetje.....They'll be one of our new next-door neighbors when we move into our lil' Ranch of Heaven.  Heaven is right!!!