How Do You Like Your Apples? The History of Carmel Apples

This weekend I bought my first caramel apple and it was yummy!

I like a Granny Smith apple with the classic caramel and rolled in peanuts, but that got me to thinking...what other apples are out there? More then you could ever dream up!

And believe it or no,t the caramel apple was not the first, it followed the candy apple. It was back in 1908 that William Kolb created the candy apple as a Christmas treat. He melted down left over Halloween cinnamon candy, rolled the apples in it and sold it for 5 cents. The world was not introduced to caramel apples until many years later.

According to Gmpmopcorn.co the caramel was not created until the 1950 by Kraft Foods...

"Caramel apples were invented many years after the candy apple, in the 1950s, by Kraft Foods employee Dan Walker. Like candy apples, caramel apples’ invention also resulted from experimentation with holiday candy – Walker said he discovered the recipe when experimenting with excess caramels from Halloween sales; he simply melted them down, and added apples, and the rest is history."

Now we can enjoy many varieties of the caramel/candy apple...

Taffy apples, chocolate apples, white chocolate apples and tons of toppings. Everything from sprinkles to cookies, to candy. And lets not forget the classic Jelly apples sold at Coney Island in New Jersey; they are cherry flavored with a softer coating.

Kalamazoo has a number of great places to grab yourself an apple. My personal favorite is Gull Meadows Farms according to their website..

"Our caramel apples are truly a crowd pleaser! We like to make ours extra gooey with plenty of caramel! Our hand-dipped caramel apples are made every morning and covered with your choice of peanuts, pecans or just enjoy them plain! We also have delicious gourmet caramel apples, made with a variety of toppings such as Reese’s Pieces, Oreos, or white chocolate caramel drizzle over pecans, and a few others. YUM!"

On top of the great caramel apples, you can pick your own apples, they have freshly baked pies, donuts and a gift shop. Perfect place to take the whole family.

Another great stop is Husted Farm Market and Cider Mill where you can find fresh grown fruits and vegetates. Take a moment to check out their website because they have more then just apples and pumpkins!

Mattawan has a gem of a farm, it's Suhultz Fruitridge Farms Inc and they grow a great variety of apples. From Gala to Honey-crisp and everything in between, plus they boast...

   "Make sure you try some of our homemade caramel apples, too! Hand crafted in small batches, everyone will surely enjoy them!"

There are plenty of places to get a caramel apple, heck every grocery store has them, but nothing tastes better them  a fresh, farm gown apple, topped with what you love!