Forty years ago, I used to use McIntosh, but my deep dish pies were left with a hollow top crust as these apples cook down so much. Now I only use them for applesauce and still love their flavor. As for pies, I began using Rhode Island Greenings for twenty or so years. A decade ago, however, I tried my own similar side by side bake with the Greening, Northern Spy, Baldwin, and Cortland apples To my surprise, I thought the Northern Spy apples beat all the others in flavor and texture, with Cortland a solid second (McIntosh is one of its parents). Northern Spy apples aren't that easy to come by, but I pick my own at a Central Massachusetts orchard in early October and they are GREAT keepers - right through the entire holiday season. I'd still be happy to use Cortlands, anytime, however. As for Gravensteins, well they are superb in pies. They're grown quite a bit in Northern California and Oregon, but you have to really seek them out in the eastern states. They are a very early variety that you can only get in late July/early August. I've had enough west coast friends rave about them, that I was committed to trying them this year and found an orchard where I picked them in early August. The results? I thought they might even be better than the Northern Spy. The problems are the early harvest and the fact that they are very poor keepers. I'll do it again next season because that Gravenstein pie was worth it, but my standbys will continue to be Northern Spy and/or Cortland.

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