Gala Apple Uses

Crisp, sweet gala apples have many culinary uses for savoring their taste. These apples have a versatility not shared by some other apple varieties. Stock up on gala apples to explore the many ways you can use these fruits.

Cooking and Baking

Gala apples do not fall apart when baked in pies or used in cooking. Their firm texture makes them ideal for baking in apple pies, cobblers and cooked dishes. Substitute gala apples for a more tart variety, such as Granny Smiths, in a pie to impart added sweetness to the dish.

Salads

Fruit salad - watermelon, kivi, apple image by Elzbieta Sekowska from <a href='http://www.fotolia.com'>Fotolia.com</a>

Slice gala apples for using raw in salads where they will retain their color and texture rather than becoming browned and mushy.

Applesauce

Gala apples should be your first pick for making applesauce. Their natural sweetness can let you reduce or eliminate the sugar you might add to applesauce.

Snacking

The flavor of a gala apple lends well to out-of-hand snacking. It contains a pale yellow to white flesh with a fine texture and sweet flavor, according to All About Apples. Gala apples also have a slight tartness that does not overpower the sweet flavors of the apple. The thin skin of a gala makes these preferable to apples with thicker skins.

Tall Will A Gala Apple Grow?

Unless you have ample property space, the dwarf and semi-dwarf Gala apple trees offer manageable sizes for the same fruit cultivation in limited areas. These particular apple cultivars are indicated as simply "Gala dwarf" or "Gala semidwarf" cultivars by individual growers. Known under the main apple scientific name of Malus x domestica, this tree's future spread potential is actually larger than the tree's height, with limbs and foliage extending to a maximum spread of 22 feet. If you have other trees or building structures within the yard shading the Gala, its photosynthesizing abilities are greatly impeded. As a result, the Gala grows slower and will not reach the height indicated by its rootstock. In particular, grasses growing up to the apple tree's trunk steal necessary moisture and soil nutrients from the tree, especially if it is still a sapling.