If you a fan of sweet apples this might be the best sweet apple available. Find out when the best time to get these apples is so you aren't disappointed and where you can find them.
Anyone that know me, knows how I excited I get to try a new piece of fruit. I am searching them out all the time.
Sometimes when searching for new produce to try, a name can attract my attention.
When I stumbled upon the Green Dragon apple, I was intrigued. At least it's a great name. You also don't see a ton of green apples not named Granny Smith on the market. When some arrived at my front door I couldn't wait for that first bite.
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📜 History
Green Dragon originated in Japan. It's a cross between an Orin or an Indo apple (I read both online, not sure which it is really is) and a Golden Delicious. It's an heirloom variety that produce distributors Frieda's & Melissa's are trying to get the word out about.
They are a later season apple, being made available in October and November.
👓 Appearance
It's green with small brown spots. To avoid people thinking these spots mean the fruit is bad, Frieda's has started putting stickers on the apples that say "Freckled Skin".
As the apple gets older it will become more of a yellow color.
⭐ Ratings
Here is what I thought when I had this apple for the first time.
| Tart | 1 |
| Sweet | 9 |
| Juiciness | 8 |
| Flavor | 7 |
| Crispiness | 8 |
People think that green apples must be tart, like it's some universal law. If they ever bit into a Green Dragon their story would change in a hurry. This apple is anything but tart. Hard to find any tartness in it. It's a pure sweet as they get. If you like tartness in your apples, your not going to like this one.
But if you are a sweet apple fan and your favorites include like Galas or Fujis then you are in for a treat with this apple. It has a better, more complex flavor than those popular apples. To me it has hints of tropical and pear flavors. The apple has that pear like sweetness.
🥗 What to Do with Green Dragon Apples?
Juicy and refreshing. Green Dragon are best enjoyed right out of hand. Not enough tartness for me to want to cook with.
I do think they would be a good apple to use in a salad. I like having a sweeter apple in a salad as it balances out the bitterness of the green you use, especially if you are using more bitter salad greens like endive or more spicy salad greens like arugula.
Eating Tips - You want to only pick out the apples that are most green in color. Over time these apples take on more of a yellow color and at that point they become too soft. Good for applesauce but not so much for out of hand eating. Unfortunately this happens quickly so eat as soon as you can after buying and don't buy yellow ones in the store, ever! For more on getting how to know when an apple is perfect to eat, check out this post
🛒 Where to Buy
Look for Green Dragon apples wherever you find Frieda's or Melissa's products. Ask your store's produce manager about availability.
Here are some stores I know of. If you have any more to add to the list, leave a comment below.
- Albertsons
- Central Market
- Jewel-Osco
- Hy-Vee
- Safeway
- Whole Foods Market
- Tom Thumb
- Vons
🍎 Give These Apples a Try
Here are some other apples you will want to check out
Have you tried this apple? What did you think? Leave a comment below telling us. Be a helper and share where you found it. You may make someone's day with your insider info on where to get them! If you are a true apple lover, you'll want to check out all of our apple reviews.
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