The ubiquitous apple: a mainstay of fruit bowls and bag lunches, and in Minnesota, a point of pride. Cultivators in the apple breeding program at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum and the University of Minnesota have been dreaming up new varieties since the 1930s, most recently adding to their list of winter-hardy fruits the SweeTango and the Zestar. Snappy and sweet eaten out of hand, tender and flavorful when roasted or baked, apples bring plenty to the table.

There's no better guide to this apple abundance than Joan Donatelle, whose fondness for the fruit goes beyond the...