Do you remember going to the carnival or county fair when you were little and getting a red candy apple?

There was something special about this apple - its candy coating was the most beautiful shade of red - A red that made you think of fire engines and you just knew when you bit into it it would taste like Heaven. And it did.

As a rule, I have never been much of an apple eater, unless it was baked in a pie or of the Macintosh variety. Lately, though, a good Macintosh apple has been hard to find. While there are many varieties of tasty apples, such as the Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Gala, or Jazz apple (which is a pretty good apple, I have to say), none of them can compare in flavor and textture to Pink Lady apples.

◊This article was written by cosette and published at hubpages.com. If you are not reading this article at hubpages.com, it is a stolen article.◊

Now, more than ever, fresh produce is enjoying a renaissance. People want more and more of it, and are demanding fruits and vegetables of the highest quality, and experimenting with new, hybrid fruits like Pink Lady apples and Honeycrisp apples. Farmer's markets are popping up all over, and produce sections are huge and well stocked with the finest produce, as well as a larger selection of organic produce.

The Organic Cathedral

One day I was at the local organic market, Whole Foods, which has the most gorgeous produce section I have ever seen. The fruits and vegetables are all carefully arranged on the shelves, and so pretty the whole thing looks like a painting called "Still Life With Fruit" - I mean, they really respect their fruits and vegetables at this place!

As I was walking around this wonderland, I noticed a bin of the prettiest apples - They were a blush of deep pink on a beautiful golden backdrop. The sign said PINK LADY APPLES so I just had to try some. I have to say that this is without a doubt the most delicious apple I have ever eaten in my life. Seriously. This apple originated in Australia and is a cross between the Golden Delicious apple and the Lady Williams apple.

The flesh is firm, almost like a pear, and the apple is juicy and sweet and tangy...Imagine munching on a soft SweetTart with a glass of nice fruity wine. I now eat an apple a day (sometimes two) and love them! I also slice one in small pieces and dry them in my convection oven for my bunny, who goes crazy for them!

Easy Peasy Palate-Pleasing Apple Pie

The other day I baked a pie with them just to see how it would do and it made a very nice apple pie, although not as juicy a pie as with a Macintosh or Granny Smith, so use less flour than you usually do. I used Bobby Flay's apple pie recipe and modified it - he called for 3/4 of a cup of sugar but I only used 1/4 of a cup and it was perfect. He used an apple called the Spy apple, which I never heard of so I just substituted Pink Ladies, using one more apple than he did, and a tablespoon of cinnamon instead of a teaspoon, and a ready-made pie crust instead of making it myself, as he did. Next time I bake this pie I won't use two tablespoons of flour - it just makes it too dry.

Here is my modified apple pie recipe:

Two ready-made Pie Crusts, e.g. Pillsbury
Six Pink Lady Apples
One tablespoon of flour
One tablespoon of cinnamon
1/4 cup of sugar

Peel the apples, then remove the cores and slice the apples into 1/4 inch thick slices, place in a large mixing bowl and set aside. Spray a pie tin with nonstick cooking spray and unfold one of the pie crusts and line the tin with it. Add the flour, cinnamon and sugar to the apples and combine. Pour into the pie tin, then cover the apples with the other pie crust. Flute the edges and poke holes in the top with a fork, then place in a 400-degree oven and bake for 40 minutes until golden brown.

Autumn of the Year - Apple-Pickin' Time

What is most appealing about this apple is the color - It is reminiscent of those carefree fall days of my childhood when the days grew cooler, the sun started slanting and making the world look golden, and gold and orange leaves crunched under your feet on the walk to school, and in the evenings your dad would burn those leaves in an old oil drum and you'd sit on his lap, watching it throw sparks and the cold night air made your nose tingle. And the next morning he took you to the fair and got you a perfectly round, shiny red candy apple of your very own, and it made your fingers sticky but you didn't care - And when your father took your small hand in his; he didn't care that it was all sticky either - The sun was shining and the cool breeze ruffled his shirt and your hair ribbons even as the ferris wheels rolled 'round and 'round, daring you to ride them. And you fell drowsy on the ride home, one hand still clutching the remainder of your candy apple and the other embracing the big pink stuffed dog he won for you, and the lights of the city spread out in front of you, looking like stars.

I love Autumn.