We have been receiving a steady flow of great fruit in Kansas. High quality apples such as Fuji and gala are ranging anywhere from 50¢ to $1.00 per pound. I’ve had about a pound + per day myself. I’ve not tasted quality fruit like this in years. The question is who grew all these apples and how did they do it?
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A local orchard has had great Fuji lately.
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The Fuji this year I have eaten with one exception have been superb. If we could grow the type I’ve been buying I would be a ecstatic.
I hope to flood the local market with quality fruit by selling hundreds of trees dirt cheap on craigslist. 
I was lucky to sample a few of the many varieties I grow but do not yet produce from farmers markets and grocery stores including Arkansas Black, Black Twig, Winesap and york. I LOVE York Imperial! Yummy fruit, but quality was hit and miss. The growers here are smart. They hook you with great fruit when it’s ripe then unload there junk seconds when you come back for more.
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My little orchard is barely producing yet. Maybe 2016 will see more varieties bearing, and the trres that already started, making more.
Meanwhile, I try to sample different types regularly, from the grocery stores. The local country fruit stand changed management and smells bad now.
I like many that I tried so far this fall. One of the that had an off taste was labeled Sweet and Crisp whatever that is. There have been some great Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Jonagold, and SweeTango.
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I also try to sample any new variety I see in stores. Right now Pink Lady is my favorite in-store apple
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Speedster,
Pink lady sure is a great apple when its at its best.
Bear with me,
I got some jonagold from @39thparallel last year. I can’t wait for them to start producing.
Clarkinks, I have Jonagold on M27. I think that rootstock is just too whimpy. I also have Liberty on M27. I think both are going to go, in favor of a less dwarfing rootstock. The apples that I did get on Jonagold were very good. It is triploid, so vigorous, but also needing 2 pollinizing varieties.
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Yeah, I won’t be buying any more M27 after my Honeycrisp (already a low vigor cultivar) runted out.
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Murky,
Honeycrisp is definately one that took awhile to bear for me. I baby mine pretty good but they are worth the wait.
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I think my jonagold is on 111. The soil is not the best there and last year was its first year.
Both my M26 and M27, bare root from Raintree, Honeycrisp wanted to fruit right away.
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I think mine took 4-5 years because the soil is heavy clay lome.
We bought some Opal apples last weekend. Nice and crisp and juicy, not as sweet as Honeycrisp or Jonagold.
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The Opals I’ve bought are almost universally sweeter than Honeycrisp. I did buy some Opals from Costco that aren’t as sweet or flavorful as the ones from Camas Produce, Chuck’s Produce, Fred Meyer and either New Season’s or Whole Foods.
Opal have been int he 14-20 brix range. Local Honeycrisp more like 10-13. My mom brought some from Yakima that were 15 or so and worth eating.
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Murky, you figured it out! Our Opal were from Costco.
Bear and Murky,
Will an apple tree on Bud 9 suffer the same or similar faith as that on M26, 27?
I still can change my order.
I believe Bud 9 is in between the vigor of M27 and M26. It depends on how fertile your site is and how big a tree you want. Personally, I’d want something more vigorous for Honeycrisp unless this was a no ladder for short people situation.
I am one of those short people 
These are for my Fuji and Rubinette for the spring. I have a choice between M 7 or Bud 9. I have a couple applea on M 7.
My Honey Crisp is on an unknown rootstock that I suspect M 111. A bit more vigorous for me.
Mamuang, I advise you to listen to Murky. He knows much more about this stuff than I do.