Hi, my name is Lucy and I am an apple snob.
I’ve always tried to deny it. I’d tell myself that any fruit is a good fruit, but that could not be further from the truth.
When I lived at home, I’d always pick out my own apples from the grocery store. It had to be a Fuji, Honeycrisp or Pink Lady. My mom laughed at me all the time for my snooty preferences.
When I got to UMD and saw the apples in the dining hall, I’m not going to lie . . . it made me a little sad. They were small and soft. I lost the satisfying crisp that makes apple eating worth it. It was from that point that I went on a quest to find the apple that I once loved.
I found good apple options in two places: the University of Maryland Farmers’ Market and the 24 Hour Shop in Denton community.
UMD Farmers’ Market
Perfect for when your 11 am class just ended, your next class isn’t until 2 and you have a little time to spend.
I recently discovered the Farmers’ Market. It only comes on Wednesdays from 10-3pm and it sets up outside of Cole Field House. You really can’t miss it because you will see tons of white tents and transportation vehicles.
I decided to check it out and I was thoroughly impressed. Beyond apples there were luxury cheeses, vegetables of all sorts, and flavored pure honey. But, the apple section is what I want to focus on.
After a month and a half of eating whatever apples the dining hall provided, I felt like I was in heaven. They had endless choices of all different apple breeds. There was a huge pile of Fuji apples and they looked extremely fresh. Even if Fuji’s are not your thing, there is every other apple type for you to choose from.
Denton’s 24-Hour Shop
I stumbled upon this little gem late at night when I needed some milk. I had no expectation for good fruit.
Next to the cash register, though, there are some tiered baskets containing apples. Not just any apples, but big Fuji apples. They also had some Red Delicious, if that’s more your thing.
Quick disclaimer though: there has been a few times when they ran out of apples. Most of my visits there, however, I have been able to quench my apple thirst.
Final Remarks
These are the two places I have found on campus with the best apples and most consistent apple goodness, but these are definitely not the only places. Sometimes the Union Shop has some good, juicy apples but it is inconsistent.
The Maryland Co-Op has organic apples, but in my opinion, they are too little and soft to be enjoyable. Every now then the diner will bring in some Fuji’s but these times are rare, typically they are small Gala apples.
UMD definitely provides lots of channels for students to access good apples. Hopefully you can discover your favorite apple type while at UMD and eat it daily to you know, keep the doctor away.