Cameo Apples for Delivery or Pickup

Cameo apples are one of the best apples for eating. They are juicy and crispy, usually with creamy white flesh, trending to a yellowish-orange. The Cameo apple is described as sweet, with a hint of tartness. Many say Cameo apples produce a hint of pear when eaten. Though ideal for eating straight, Cameos are also good for baking, including pies, salads, and various sauces, in part because they do not brown very quickly when cut.

The Cameo apple is believed to be related to red delicious and golden delicious apples; it was first found in a red delicious orchard. The skin presents with reddish-orange stripes, which appear just before harvest. Peak months for Cameo apples are between October and April. Cameos were first cultivated in Washington state and are still grown there in large quantities. New York and other states also produce Cameo apples, as do orchards in the United Kingdom. 

Like many apples, the Cameo is high in soluble fiber, which is beneficial for cardiovascular health. Studies show that Cameo apples include a higher level of antioxidants than almost any other apple. They are also high in vitamin C, providing an estimated 30 percent of the recommended daily allowance in diets.  They also provide a source of calcium, iron, and vitamin A.

Skin color is the best guide in determining whether an apple is ripe, especially if you are picking them from a bin in a supermarket or farmer's market. You want to look at the continuum of colors on the apple's skin. For a red striped variety such as Cameo, the key is to examine the area where there is something other than red color. Those apples where the skin is showing more yellow than green are usually on the riper side and ready for your cart. Some apple varieties are a full red, so they are trickier to pick out as they do not give off the same type of signals.

Cameo is included on most lists of apples that will keep the best. Generally speaking, success at preserving apples depends on how they are stored, particularly at which temperatures. The best temperature for storing Cameos is between 32 and 40 degrees. Apple growers say that it's possible for apples to keep while sitting in a cooler in the garage without taking any other extra measures. They typically will last for between three and five months. It's also okay to keep apples in a refrigerator, segregated to your crisper drawer.

Make sure you carefully choose which Cameo apples you will store. Those with imperfections such as cuts or bruises may play a role in accelerating the demise of other apples in storage. Larger apples will go bad faster than smaller ones, so keep those out for more immediate uses. Preserving apples may also be as simple as making apple sauce or pie filling or putting them into cans for future use from your pantry.

In addition to the garage or refrigerator, you can also store apples in basements, which are cooler and tend to offer higher humidity. It's best to choose crates or baskets to encourage airflow.