With nearly 50 varieties of apples in store, Miles Farmers Market is peeling back the layers of fall and offering tasty dishes featuring America’s favorite fruit

By Laura Briedis

As the most-consumed fruit in the United States, apples come in heaps of varieties. Of the approximately 100 varieties of apples that are grown commercially in our country, you will find almost half of them at Miles Farmers Market.

“Everyone likes to take a trip to local apple orchards in the fall, but at Miles Farmers Market we have sourced apples from all over to offer the most varied selection and have more varieties than one apple orchard can grow,” says store manager Justin Golobek.

Here you will find apples, which are freshly picked in nearby Ohio orchards, as well as some varieties that come from small farms in Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania, as well as the prolific apple-growing orchards in Washington.

The store is chock-full of all things apple—from Dutch apple pies to apple-stuffed sausages, apple- and sage-stuffed pork chops, gallons of apple cider, apple-spiced muffins and apple jams.

“It is peak season for apple harvest in Ohio right now,” notes Justin. “We have a couple newer varieties, including the Ludacrisp, which tastes like Juicy Fruit Gum, with a fruity exotic flavor. Another customer favorite is the EverCrisp apple. It is a cross between a Fuji and Honeycrisp that is juicy but dense, so it keeps for a long time.”

Miles also carries lesser-known apples that are more distinctive. “One apple that you can’t find in many other stores is the Gold Rush, so it has garnered a cult-following at Miles,” says Justin. “It looks like there will be a promising crop this fall of this sweet- and tart-flavored bright, golden yellow apple. This is literally the last apple variety picked every year, as it is harvested in orchards in Ohio in November so we will have them in our stores until February or March.”

In addition to apples, Miles Farmers Market has one of the area’s biggest displays of pumpkins and gourds, along with hardy mums, skirting the front of the store. More than just your typical orange pumpkins, you will find shades of white and yellow and some with wart-like growths to add interest. And the gourds range in color from white to green to orange and come in some unique shapes like the snake and gooseneck gourds. The mounds of pumpkins make a perfect fall backdrop to take selfies or photos of the kids while shopping at the market.

Pumpkin also is a featured flavor in some of the food items inside the market.

“Our bakery will be featuring Pumpkin Parfait later this month, which consists of a Snickerdoodle-type cookie with added pumpkin pie spice layered with pumpkin pie filling and whipped cream,” says Justin. “Plus, we have other seasonal bakery treats like pumpkin cakes, pumpkin muffins and pumpkin pies.”

Miles Farmers Market is known for its pies that come in 20-plus varieties.

“Our ovens run 24 hours a day the week of Thanksgiving, as we bake more than 4,000 pies for holiday orders,” notes Justin.

Looking ahead to the holidays, Justin encourages customers to start planning for meals and to pre-order pies as well as turkeys, which are fresh, never frozen, and free-range.

And if you want to enjoy a clambake during the last couple weeks of clambake season, Miles’ catering department offers clambakes featuring wild-caught middle neck clams, Amish-raised chicken, super sweet corn, southern yams and coleslaw.

“We get seafood in fresh six days a week, which is mostly flown in from the coasts,” says Justin. “So our clambakes are as fresh as can be.”

Miles Farmers Market is located at 28560 Miles Road, in Solon. Visit MilesFarmersMarket.com for store details.