I wonder if the inconsistencies in flavor/sugar have something to do with the consumer’s individual ability to judge quality fruit at the market, as well as how picked-over the pile is. I have gotten pretty efficient at stripping all the good fruit from a pile. I assume whole trees are picked at once, so there will naturally be some variations in ripeness. I look for ripeness around the calyx and stem, and basically ignore the color of the rest of the apple. Density is a big clue. When they feel heavy for their size, they are usually sweet. If I think I have a good one, I compare the weight in my hands to other apples the same size. I rub the skin to see if it has gone soft/leathery, and smell them. Fragrant apple have a level of complexity I prefer over high acid, but I do like good acidity. I can usually pick the best fruit in a pile, but often the best fruit is not great. Sometimes I leave the produce section empty handed, and feeling angry that they charge such high prices for consistently low-quality fruit.
For commercial growers like me, Cosmic Crisp is another frustration… people outside of Washington State can’t grow it. In the good old days, new varieties could be planted widely, but now most stuff is restricted even though a lot of it is still developed by public universities. See my blog post for more information on commercial grower impact: So I heard about this new apple… | The Fruitful Tree
Just ate another CC and it was crunchier and sweeter than the first one. My wife loved it.
I better love it too.
4 bucks it better be good
I know that they get a bad rap from many people but I’ve really come to love a good Honey Crisp apple. Maybe it is because we grow them and they are delicious. I’ll try Cosmic Crisp but until we can grow them here in the Northeast…I doubt that they will make much of an impact on the apple market around here.
I liked them but my wife compared CC to Envy club apple and she stated that CC is not even close to Envy apple. Oh well then I will eat the CC all to myself.
Tony
Smart, smart LADY, I ENVY you.
It was $3.99/lb in CT at Acme. I’ve had two so far. I thought both are about the same, but my daughter thought that the first was great and the second was only OK. I forgot to test the first, but the second was 14 brix.
Great to know Bob. My daughter doesn’t pay attention about fruits much but she had finished a whole CC apple when she home from school before eating any thing else. She like this Apple a lot now.
I found CC at Costco! And they were surprisingly very good.
Someone said bought @ costco but I didn’t see any CC in Lynnwood Costco. A case twelve apples for $15?@ramv
Case of 8 apples. Extra large fancy. 5.5lbs.
I bought some more at our Supermarket. Not in the best of shape. I had to pick through to find non bruised or dings and dented ones. This ones less crisp than my second one. I think the marketing on this is its attraction mostly. So many new apples showing up in the Supermarkets.
This article about club apples was published in 2014.
Want To Grow These Apples? You'll Have To Join The Club : The Salt : NPR.
Cosmic Crisp was on that list.
Of the 16 varieties on the list, I have eaten 9 of them: Ambrosia,
Envy, Jazz, Opal, Pacific Rose, Pinata, Ruby Frost, Snap Dragon and Sweet Tango.
At first, I loved Opal. It tasted different at the time. After a while I’ve realized that if I don’t get them at a peak condition, their taste did not stand out at all.
Also, all of them share the same two qualities that consumers in general love, sweetness and crunchiness. Some may have some tanginess to balance the sweetness. That’s about it.
I have not tried Cosmic Crisp. If I come across them, I may buy them to try but I won’t go out of my way to find them. I still love my Gold Rush and, Hoople’s Antique Gold more than several of those club apples.
Since you mention Jazz, I purchased a few from Costco about 2 months ago. When I first got them home, they were distinctly poor flavored, even store bought Red Delicious was better. I kept them on the counter about 3 weeks and tried again. The flavor was much improved, not quite as sweet as Fuji, but with better tartness and good overall flavor balance. Just curious if anyone else has an example of an apple that needs a couple of weeks to mellow before eating?
Is Hoople’s vastly different from home grown Golden Delicious? Can’t decide whether to remove Opalescent or Ashmead’s to make room for it.
Very true about Opal.