What to Do with Paula Red Apples?

Learn all about the Paula Red Apple, what they taste like, and how you can do with them. Are they good for straight up eating or better in recipes?

The early apple season is full of apples that are pretty tart. The exception to that may be the Paula Red. Paula Red apples come out in August and are among some of the first apples you find at the farmers market. It's a mainly red apple with some areas of green/yellow. The skin is shiny. It's a nice apple to take a picture of.

Jump to:

• 📜 History
• 🚜 When Are They Harvested?
• 👅 What Does It Taste Like
• 🍎 What are Paula Red Best For?
• 🛒 Where to Buy

📜 History

Paula Reds were first discovered in Kent County, Michigan in Sparta Township. It is a very popular August apple in Michigan. A grower by the name of Lewis Arends discovered them in an area of his orchard that contained McIntosh apples.

It's exact parents are not known but it would make sense for one of them to be a McIntosh (Cortlands have been rumored to be the other parents). Some people mistake the Paula Red for a McIntosh. They are similar in appearance and flavor. Lewis named the apple after his wife, Pauline. Paula Reds first hit the market in 1968.

See Paula Red on my list of best substitute apples for McIntosh.

🚜 When Are They Harvested?

You can find Paula Red apples at the start of the apple season. You usually get them in mid to late August depending on where you are and the weather that year.

👅 What Does It Taste Like

Here is my review of this apple. Categories are on a scale of 1-10.

Crispiness	6
Tartness	8
Flavor	6
Sweetness	3
Juiciness	6

Paula Red start out as a crisp tart apple and sweetened up as they age. They become more balanced tasting after a week. But the downside is that they become soft and mealy quickly.

🍎 What are Paula Red Best For?

Paula Red make my list for best apples for applesauce.

Use them as a tart fresh eating apple first and then you can use them to make applesauce if they get too soft for your liking. I do think the flavor is better with age but then again if you need a crisp apple to be satisfied you won't appreciate any flavor improvements.

🛒 Where to Buy

If you grocery store carries local apples this usually one of the first along with either Pristine apples or Ginger Gold apples. You usually don't see them in large chain grocery stores.

Here is a list of some orchards that grow Paula Red. Some you may be able to pick at yourself. You will need to check with that orchard. Feel free to share an orchard you found them at in the comments below.

• Wells Orchard (Grand Rapids, MI)
• Plymouth Orchards & Cider Mill (Plymouth, MI)
• Tuttle Orchards (Greenfield, IN)
• Wasem Fruit Farm (Milan, MI)
• Apple Holler (Sturtevant, WI)
• MacLaren Orchards (Renfrew, Ontario)
• Whistling Well Farm (Hastings, MN)
• Sacia Orchards (Galesville, WI)
• Blok Orchards (Ada, MI)
• Greenwood Orchards (Turner, ME)
• Rose Hill Farm (Red Hook, NY)
• Lyman Orchards (Middlefield, CT)

Here are some apple related kitchen tools I recommend:

• Amco Dial-A-Slice Adjustable Apple Corer and Slicer : Allows you to slice apples into either 8 or 16 pieces
• Zyliss Soft Skin Peeler : The best peeler I have ever owned. Does a great job peeling an apple.
• Mirro Foley 2-Quart Stainless Steel Food Mill : A great tool for making your own applesauce. You can make the sauce without having to do any peeling.\

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.