Golden Delicious Apples are catching up to the  popular Red Delicious Apple. Golden Delicious Apples have easy shipping qualities and is stored for long periods of time under special chilled and inert gas environments, making it available year round. It has a bright yellow to greenish skin, shiny in appearance, and yellow flesh and when in season, can be quite fresh and juicy tasting. Select Golden Delicious that are firm. Overripe apples can be very grainy in texture. As the Golden Delicious ripens, the flesh gets sweeter but softer.  It is usually eaten out of hand and can also be used for cooking as it holds and retains its shape and stays firm. It is used for pies, and sauces, and has a somewhat aromatic flesh when cut.  

Apples come in various grades: Extra Fancy, Fancy, and No.1. The top two grades of apples are based on exteriour appearance and size.  Apples should be stored at 31 to 32 degrees F at 85-90% relative humidity. Keep them in their boxes as they can absorb odors, and they give off ethylene gas that can hasten ripening in other fruits and vegetables.. Apples come packed in 38-42 # cartons, and 40-45# tray packs with  counts of 48, 56, 64, 72, 80 ,88, 100, 120, 140, 160,  200 or 216 for the smallest.  One medium apple  equals one cup diced apples.

Golden Delicious information can be found at this link:

http://www.produceoasis.com/Items_folder/Fruits/GoldDel.html

Some great Apple recipes http://www.epicurious.com/b_ba/b02_twelve/apple/ba_12apples.html