Sorry I haven’t been posting as frequently as I had been.  I was in a beautiful wedding this weekend and it took up a lot of time – and then of course there is catching up on sleep post-wedding as well.
Back to some sauce-analysis.  We’ll move on today to the Valstar. 
The Valstar is one of our newer varieties.  When we plant a new variety we try not to go too overboard in case no one really likes them.  We did not have to worry about that with the Valstar – these have definitely been a customer favorite. 
The Valstar is crisp with a lively flavor that's sweet, yet tangy. Perfect in fruit trays, for snacking and also makes great applesauce.
Like normal, I peeled, cored and sliced up my apples and stuck them into the crock pot.  I cooked these for about about 3 hours and I should have probably cooked them for a little less time.  They had a really good aroma as they could. The sauce would have been chunkier had I not left it in the pot so long.  The sauce starts out with a little sweet flavor but leaves a tart taste in my mouth.  It wasn’t my favorite but I could see that with a little cinnamon or other seasonings added (or other apple varieties) that the Valstar would be a delicious sauce. 

Photo by Friends in Photography

I do have to say that Pip just sucked the Valstar sauce down though.  I have to admit – I don’t think she’s too particular about flavor when she decides what she’ll eat or not.  She pretty much will eat anything we put in her mouth right now.

Past apple tests:

• McIntosh
  
• Gala
  
• Tolman Sweet
  
• NW Greening
  
• Granny Smith
  
• Jonathan
  
• Baker’s Mix - October