Here’s a summary of a market survey published in April 2023 from The Packer, a produce industry trade paper.
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Granny Smith, most desired by consumers?? Wow, that seems out in left field. I’ve never eaten a GS that I liked including ones I grew myself here with a long season. They never seemed ripe. I have heard they can be good in climates where they can be picked this time of year.
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How were the pruners even trained? Most modern varieties require rotating annual shoots where they bear most of the crop on their second year. That is, they require it to bear the best quality fruit annually.
A few varieties bear their crops on the tips of last years shoots, no modern ones I’m aware of, although some, like Jonagold, will produce flowers on tips of annual shoots some years.
I almost never see apple trees pruned well by general tree care companies. Fairly vigorous rootstocks are the minimum usually planted here by non-commercial growers, many old apple trees are huge and on seedling rootstocks.
Dwarf fruit trees can be managed by minimally trained workers, but only dwarfs.
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Yes.
Not in America. Gala is the top seller. Red Delicious still #2.
The survey is of 1,017 people that covers a wide range of fruits and vegetables. So not worth much after all.
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Extremely surprising. I have rarely seen ambrosia sold in grocery chain stores. only once in a blue moon, it’s carried by much smaller local specialty grocery stores.
If the survey only based on the feedback from a little over a thousand people, heck, I can get survey of a thousand saying 100% likes Fuji apple.
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So…about as easy as getting 100% surveyed to agree about ‘climaaate chaaange’?
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How is Aztec Fuji compared to regular? Is it worth having both?
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IMHO, Aztec Fuji is inferior to Fuji. I heard Myra Fuji and Red Fuji bc are a little more flavorful than the original.
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So Aztec is just more red? Any other differences?
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I agree that Evercrisp should have very broad appeal. It jumped right into my top 10 favorites. I have fond memories of Fuji apples from 40 years ago, but it seems much harder now to get a good one. Evercrisp scratches that itch along with the other advantages you mention.
Not sure if it is an advantage or disadvantage, but Evercrisp tastes good even without good coloration. It’s not as pretty, but doesn’t need to be for me.
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The survey summary says “prefer to purchase” not “purchase”.
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Yes, more red, less flavor and less sweet.
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I’ve got Red Fuji and regular Fuji. Not much difference, both are good. September Wonder is the next Fuji I want to try.
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California growers say Red Fuji is a little better. I haven’t tried it myself, but the original Fuji is anyway great, so it may not be much worth it to add the red. I also have Beni Shogun Fuji (I believe so), which is fairly different from Fuji flavor wise, but still very sweet with little tartness.
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If you like Fuji and want to enjoy some more than a month earlier, you should try September Fuji. I like the fruit- it does get up high sugar and is just about as hard as later ripening versions but is a much easier tree to manage- not so much rampant growth. Much more like a normal growing tree.
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I didn’t really like September Fuji, I found it to be much watered-down variant of Fuji, flavor wise and is also less sweet. Rising Sun Fuji is a better early Fuji, but still not as great as the original. RS ripens here at the end of September/ early October, but I heard is susceptible to biennial production if not thinned.
For me, in September and early October, I am happy with tree ripened Gala and pears (perhaps Kidd’s Orange Red too, my tree will ripen its first crop this year).
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Honestly, I haven’t been growing Aztec fuji long enough to offer an opinion on that. The trees started fruiting two seasons ago. This season would be their third. I’ve sold the fruit off Aztec fuji. I’m sure I’ve tried them, but don’t recall if they tasted any different than a regular fuji in my climate.
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I’m trying to decide on Rising Sun or Daybreak Fuji! Love all these reports.
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