Gravenstein Apple Recipe Contest

As a child, my mom lived and breathed the mantra “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”. We had apples at least once a day for a meal. Even into my high school years an apple made its way into my

Poster celebrating the Gravenstein Apple.

backpack on a regular basis.

It wasn’t until I moved to paradise, also known as Sonoma County, that I had my first taste of the Gravenstein Apple. Before winegrapes asserted their agricultural dominance, the Gravenstein Apple was going to sweep the world! Unfortunately, the sweet yet wonderfully tart fruit, which makes for a perfect baking apple, proved to be too soft to ship to exotic destinations like Des Moines, Madison and St. Louis.

Since widely distributing the Gravenstein was not cost-effective, many of the trees were uprooted and replaced by vineyards. Slow Foods Russian River worked to designate August as National Gravenstein Apple Month and hopes to raise awareness of the apple farmers with a series of events. As part of the month,  75 local restaurants will use the Gravenstein on their menu during the month of August. Check out the Slow Foods Russian River website for all the details.

To celebrate this unique apple, long associated with Sebastopol and the western regions of Sonoma County, today we announce: The First Ever Worldwide Inside Sonoma Gravenstein Apple Recipe Contest. Since this won’t fit on a T-shirt, we encourage you to call it, “The Great Gravenstein Recipe Contest” or even the “Other Great Apple Product, Which Consumer Reports Still Thinks is Great.”

Details are simple. Fill out this form and submit your favorite recipe that uses the Gravenstein.

The apple needs to be incorporated into the recipe and not just used as a garnish.

All recipes will be posted in a special section under Recipes & available for commenting, printing and sharing. We will throw the names of all entrants into an apple box and choose three recipes which we here at Inside-Sonoma HQ will test. Our staff will vote on their favorite recipe and a winner will be chosen.

So what does the lucky winner receive? Since this is a food contest, the winner will receive a $200 gift certificate to a local restaurant along with our sincere appreciation for celebrating this unique apple and the long history of agriculture in Sonoma County.

I am excited to see and eat all the possibilities! Well maybe, not ALL the possibilities, but as many as the waistline on my pants will allow for.