She was a saucy little tart...

One could say that Lodi apples are a tradition in my family. The use of any other apple variety to make applesauce, jams, butters, or pies is tantamount to sacrilege. Lodis are medium-sized light green apples with a mouth-puckering tartness - unless you have a stomach of steel you probably wouldn't want to eat one raw. I love them because of this tartness; they aren't sugary sweet like a Gala or Golden Delicious.

At a small family get together this past Saturday there was an exchange of Lodis between my mom and aunt, courtesy of Rouster's Apple House. I was in luck - five apples found their way into my hot little hands. So what did I do? I made a rustic apple tart, of course. I like to think I've honed my traditional pie-making skills, but I had yet to make one of those whimsical raggedy-edged tarts that are all the rage right now. Turns out its pretty darn easy, even if you don't consider yourself to be a baker.


This is definitely something I'll be making again in the future - that tart appley bite, the sweet cinnamon juices, and the buttery-crunch of the crust - it will melt your heart.