It's a fake!

I have become quite the connoisseur of apples in the last 6 months. When fruit became more expensive in the fall I needed to replace my strawberries or grapes with something and apples were in season. So apples it was! Ana suggested adding peanut butter for some healthy fat and a new obsession was born. I tried out various types of apples (I like Pink Ladys, not so much for Galas) but settled on good ole Granny Smiths. Crispy and slightly tart they are a great match for the peanut butter. Now apples can be expensive. I started buying at Fairway (paying by the pound) until Trader Joes (henceforth known as TJs) started to stock Granny Smiths. They charge by the apple so it's much cheaper. I'm the crazy girl that stands examining apple after apple until I get the best deal, the holy grail - big and bruise free. I strive to get the most for my dollar at TJs. Now don't misunderstand me here. I LOVE TJs. There food is great, made in a healthy way and such a good deal. Typically I don't notice a difference in quality based on the price. Inexplicably, TJs can just make things cheaper without me noticing. However, that is not generally true in their produce. There is a noticeable difference in produce from Fairway or West Side Market and TJs. It's a real splurge for me to get Fairway or West Side because it's more money but I usually tell which grapes are from TJs. Apples sadly are no different. At times my Granny Smith is not a Granny Smith. It's a runt of the litter. Usually, the problem is the apple is not as crisp as it should be. It's just a huge mid-afternoon disappointment to bite into the apple and have it be a counterfeit Granny Smith. Today was one of those disappointing apples so I thought I'd share. Bring on the real Granny Smiths please - no compromises for me!