Delicious Apples

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Mad Cook

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I don't usually like red apples - find them woolly and dull in flavour. However, I was going to make a fruit salad the other day and wanted red apples to add colour (I don't peel them). The red apples I bought were called "Red Delicious" - "Oh yeah!" I thought to myself "I've heard that before".

One thing led to another and the fruit salad didn't get made so I ate one of the apples today. I was amazed at how crisp and sweet and tasty it was. It had a sticky label on it with writing so small I needed both my reading glasses and a magnifying glass to read it and I was still struggling.

It turns out they were from Washington, USA (The state I think, not Mr Obama's garden ;)). More please!

I think I've had them before under the name of "Washington Reds" but I've not seen them under that name for a long time - I thought you must be keeping them all for yourselves! Perhaps they've had a name change for the UK market so they don't appear at first glance to be "foreign". There's a big push at the moment to promote English apples such as Cox's Orange Pippin and Egremont Russets (which are lovely apples) and we've started growing the lovely Braeburn apple which I think came from New Zealand originally.

Your "Red Delicious" growers really should be pushing them more. I think people would snap them up. We have masses of horrible tasteless apples foisted on us from France, including varieties such as Braeburn and Granny Smiths that are lovely when grown elsewhere. I think they must grow them specially for us in revenge for the battle of Waterloo because no self-respecting Frenchman or woman would touch them with a barge pole!

I'll be marking your Red Delicious down on my list next to South African Granny Smiths, New Zealand Braeburns and English Cox's on my list of favourite apples.
 
Red Delicious here used to be delicious, then, as with cocker spaniels, the growers bred the brains out of them. For many years, they've been mealy and tasteless for the sake of long storage.

I'm pleased that you were able to find some good ones, MC! Washington state is well known for its great apples.

We usually buy Braeburns here, they have a nice flavor and crunch. I also have a horribly neglected apple tree of questionable parentage that is totally organic (part of being totally neglected) but produces some awesome apples when you cut out the insect damage. It also didn't get the word that it's only supposed to produce a bumper crop every few years. Every October I'm up to my armpits in apples.
 
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Red Delicious here used to be delicious, then, as with cocker spaniels, the growers bred the brains out of them. For many years, they've been mealy and tasteless for the sake of long storage.

I'm pleased that you were able to find some good ones, MC! Washington state is well known for its great apples.

We usually buy Braeburns here, they have a nice flavor and crunch. I also have a horribly neglected apple tree of questionable parentage that is totally organic (part of being totally neglected) but produces some awesome apples when you cut out the insect damage. It also didn't get the word that it's only supposed to produce a bumper crop every few years. Every October I'm up to my armpits in apples.
Perhaps it a reversal of the French apple thing and the growers in US are exporting the good ones and saving the duds for the home market.

Lucky you with your tree. I have two ancient apple trees in the garden of this house - they were about 30 years old when my parents moved into the house in the 1960s. They aren't doing so well at the moment. Little blossom and no apples last summer. I need to read up about it and see what I can do with it. A good dose of well rotted horse do-do might be a good start.
 
I think I have bought those at Costco and they weren't good . I now get British apples in with my veg box I have delivered each week .

Where did you buy them from MC ?
 
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I think I have bought those at Costco and they weren't good . I now get British apples in with my veg box I have delivered each week .

Where did you buy them from MC ?
Morrison's supermarket. I was in a hurry and off my usual beaten track otherwise I'd have gone to the proper greengrocers in the village.
 
Ah and I don't know about you but I was tempted by how nice they looked (but mine were all show and no taste ) . That was a while back and now I am buying British and/or Fairtrade produce.
 
When I first came across golden delicious and red delicious apples, back in the 50s or 60s, they really lived up to the delicious part of the name. However, nowadays, they are mostly tough skinned, mealy, and lacking in flavour. The distinctive shape is the only thing that remains the same. I did buy a single organic one recently and it was yummy, like they used to be.

I think they got so popular that they wanted to increase production and didn't care about anything but the shape.
 
When I first came across golden delicious and red delicious apples, back in the 50s or 60s, they really lived up to the delicious part of the name. However, nowadays, they are mostly tough skinned, mealy, and lacking in flavour. The distinctive shape is the only thing that remains the same. I did buy a single organic one recently and it was yummy, like they used to be.

I think they got so popular that they wanted to increase production and didn't care about anything but the shape.
I think Golden Delicious are horrible. As someone on the radio once said - "They contravene the Trades Description Act, being neither golden nor delicious".

They are one of the rubbish apples we get from France.
 
I think Golden Delicious are horrible. As someone on the radio once said - "They contravene the Trades Description Act, being neither golden nor delicious".

They are one of the rubbish apples we get from France.
As I wrote, golden delicious were wonderful, long ago. What you have tasted in golden delicious is the same thing that happened to red delicious.
 
I remember red and golden delicious from years back - they were fabulous. So juicy and crisp they sounded like a block of ice cracking when you bit into one. :yum: I don't buy them anymore. When I lived in Washington state for a couple of years in the 90's, they were good. Nowadays, I usually buy honeycrisp, pinklady, or granny smiths.
 
The apple did come from Eastern Washington State. The state borders the Pacific Ocean and BC in Canada. I use to go with a bunch of girls and kids to pick them. It was an all day trip over the Cascades Mountains. But we would have a blast. Eastern Washington is known for their apples. A lot of people in the states will look for that sticker on the apple. I am one of those folks. Their apples are really superior. That area is also known for growing hops for beer making. Again, those hops are top quality and wanted by all beer makers. It is the soil that makes the difference. Mostly desert, very sandy soil that has been treated with feed for the trees.

So you did get a great apple. :angel:
 
The apple did come from Eastern Washington State. The state borders the Pacific Ocean and BC in Canada. I use to go with a bunch of girls and kids to pick them. It was an all day trip over the Cascades Mountains. But we would have a blast. Eastern Washington is known for their apples. A lot of people in the states will look for that sticker on the apple. I am one of those folks. Their apples are really superior. That area is also known for growing hops for beer making. Again, those hops are top quality and wanted by all beer makers. It is the soil that makes the difference. Mostly desert, very sandy soil that has been treated with feed for the trees.

So you did get a great apple. :angel:

New strains of yummy apples age being produced in the U.S. My home state, Michigan, is the creator of the Honey Crisp apple. It is crisp and full of flavor. Our Johnathons, and Granny Smith are still tart and great. Then there are the Pink Ladies, the Braeburns (a personal favorite) and some that I just can't remember the name of.

Sadly, some of the best apples are now being grown by members-only-club farms. You have to be a part of a particular farming coop to be able to grow them. This limits the availability of the premium apple, and thus raises the price.

I really hate that greed seems to control business.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
True Chief. You have the soil left from the old ice age pushing and crushing the stones. As a result you have rich soil there.

Eastern Washington growers are presently working with antique seeds. None of them have hit the market so far. I often buy antique tomatoes and there is a big difference in taste. They were brought back from antique seeds that someone had the sense to save. And the same with the apples. I hope when and if they hit the market, the taste difference is the same as the tomatoes.

I wouldn't be surprised to find that the "member only" clubs are working with antique seeds also. And they think they are keeping it secret. Have I got news for them. I only buy Granny Smith apples for the pies. Sometimes I will toss in one or two Jonathan or some other tart apple. But if I find after a small taste test that the GS apples are TOO tart, I will toss in a couple of sweet eating apples. They do turn to mush, but that is okay with me. It helps to absorb some of the liquid the apples exude.

For apple sauce I make it an even mixture of sweet and tart. I like to add my own sugar. Or not!

We have a small production of apples here in Mass. and so does NY. But I do think that apples from anywhere but the East Coast has to be better. Every time I have gone picking apples here, the apples just seem small to me compared to what Washington sends us. Unfortunately Washington is the only state that labels their product. :angel:
 
New strains of yummy apples age being produced in the U.S. My home state, Michigan, is the creator of the Honey Crisp apple. It is crisp and full of flavor. Our Johnathons, and Granny Smith are still tart and great. Then there are the Pink Ladies, the Braeburns (a personal favorite) and some that I just can't remember the name of.

Sadly, some of the best apples are now being grown by members-only-club farms. You have to be a part of a particular farming coop to be able to grow them. This limits the availability of the premium apple, and thus raises the price.

I really hate that greed seems to control business.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

You definitely need the cooler climate for those honey crisp apples. The ones grown here in NC are tasteless and terrible. We do have good apples that grow in this climate, but I don't think that they will ever be as good as the ones from the north.

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The ones grown in Eastern Washington have the perfect climate. They are grown in the desert where they get plenty of sunshine. Then at night, if you have ever been in the desert at night, the temperature plummets and it is cold enough for the trees. As you come down out of the Cascade Mountains, you are right in the desert. During winter some of the mountain weather goes right down to the desert. It makes for perfect apples.

So you are right BC. As well as the right soil, you do need the right weather conditions. :angel:
 
Julian Apples

There are some fantastic apple orchards in Julian, CA - up in the mountains of San Diego, CA.

They grow so many different varieties and the apple pies made from their apples are simply to die for.

Some of the orchards are "U-Pick" while others sell their produce in fruit stands at the orchards or farmer's markets in town. We used to do U-Pick with school field trips. Ahh the memories of home. :yum:
 
Couple years ago our Sam'club had some apples in that I have never seen. I gave it a try. Oh my, they were amazing. I never eat skin on any apples, the skins are just too disgusting, not on those green babies. It was absolutely amazing Apple. They were native to Washington state, according to Sir Google. Unfortunately like many things that I like I have never seen them again. The only good thing, here in MN, there are a lot of new apples developed by University of MN.


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