I saved the two images,Mrs.G,and can add them,right side up if wanted.The ones here can be deleted.bb
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I’m in Japan right now and here are some pictures from an open air market yesterday.
The green grapes had a muscat flavor and were really sweet.
Pione grapes (about $8), large, seedless, and has that musky flavor like concords. They were really good.
Yubari melon slice, extremely sweet and flavorful ($5).
Some higher end fruit. The Jiro persimmons were around 7-10 dollars a piece depending on size. Not sure why so much but I didn’t buy one to try. The mangos were about $30 each. I think the persimmons up front are Tone Wase, much more reasonably priced. Asian pears pictured include Niitaka, Nansui, and Akizuki.
I managed to snag this muskmelon for $12, not a bad price around these parts.
I think these were pine mushrooms. About $20 a box.
These Hokkaido strawberries were over $9 a packet. They were not very large at all and the color didn’t look great so I passed. I was tempted because looks can be deceiving but they are out of season, which made me question the quality.
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I hope you have a great time over there. I am not sure why the persimmon fruits are way expensive over there since lot of residents grew them like apple trees in the US.
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They don’t look at all ripe.
Surprised people there can afford to eat
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A lot of fruit tends to be pricier in Japan. They put a lot of labor into growing fruit like individually covering up the fruit to prevent damage and carefully thinning to increase size. Many fruit are grown in greenhouses or high tunnels so that they are available over an extended season. However, I think the area I’m in is in general more pricey, because its in the capital.
@tonyOmahaz5 I think it’s still early in the persimmon season in Japan. I saw a lot sold with signs saying they were grown indoors as in high tunnels or green houses for earlier ripening. They are likely cheaper in a few weeks. I want to try varieties not found easily in the US.
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Just made 3 quarts of pears in syrup. Too many were going ripe in the fridge so I wanted to use them up.
Here is a picture of the pears. It is a mislabeled tree, which was ripe around August 25. Any ideas if the variety?
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Thanks!!!
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I fixed the pics!
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All so beautifully packaged!!!
Those are some crazy prices. $30 mangos? I get them for $1.50 most of the year. Just bought the largest honey crisp apples I’ve seen for .99/lb. I do admire the quality and choices available in some countries but it’s hard to beat US prices.
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They look Kieffer-y
Kieffers can up well
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You probably know the answer, since you are there; my question is, why do the Japanese prize their fruit. Is most of it imported and the costs are high or are the growing conditions there so difficult there is not much fruit grown in Japan?
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https://www.google.com/amp/s/cookingupastory.com/manual-fruit-tree-pollination-in-japan%3Famp
I have heard of required hand pollination in japan and china due to bee decline, but this article suggests its a choice for quality as well
Talk about labor intensive
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Stopped at the store to buy some more huge and delicious NY state Honey Crisp apples at 99 cents per lb. This one weighed 17.7 oz.
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Wow!
I believe most of the fruit I saw were grown within the country @mrsg47 They seem very proud to display the origin of the fruit , often times specifying the province or even a town where it was grown. Perhaps certain places are more well known for certain fruit.
The price likely has to do with Japan having limited arable land. Almost always is the variety name given and occasionally an information sheet is displayed expounding its unique qualities. This is probably to justify a premium price. Also, labor costs are high since they seem to meticulously care for each fruit. Larger fruit also command a premium, and it’s common to give fruit as gifts or eat it at special occasions.
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Thank you so much!
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Picked some President plums today. I imagine today is about the absolute limit for any stone fruit for me. We had a light frost a few days ago but these were still decent. Brix was high (mid 20s) but the skin was a little bitter and the texture a little dry. Taste was good, however, especially when peeled. I’m a little disappointed these will ripen so late, but happy to be picking a decent plum mid Oct.
This Hudson’s Golden Gem apple was very good. 16 brix. Pleasant, mild and sweet. It almost had an Asian pear taste to it where there seemed to be water core.
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@mrsg47,
This one for you. I took this pic this afternoon. Mara Des Bois is still producing on Oct 26 in zone 6a. Love the flavor.
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mine stopped producing the 2nd week of oct. my alpines still have some going. the 25f were supposed to hit tonight should finish them off.