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  • From: Don Yellman <dyellman@earthlink.net>
  • To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [NAFEX] Commercial/Home Apple Varieties
  • Date: Tue, 29 Oct 2002 15:10:04 -0500

Chris, Cottontail, et.al.:

1. Back in the days when I subscribed to a commercial fruit growing magazine, I was struck by the emphasis on apple appearance, particularly color. Color is apparently the single most important consideration for mass marketing of apples. Other important factors are shipping and storage qualities (in CA storage), uniformity of size at ripening, crispness, and soluble solids. Flavor comes in there somewhere, but it is not necessarily related to a very high level of soluble solids. Granny Smith was the first apple to crack through the sweet preference of the consumer, and it was a surprise to much of the industry, since it has more acidity, and consequently more flavor as most of us would define it. In those days Grannies were coming in from Australia and New Zealand, but the U.S. industry quickly picked up on the consumer acceptance of this variety. People even began to appreciate its glowing green color. Gala came along shortly thereafter, also intially imported, but efforts to "improve" its color from yellow/pink blush to all red have continued ever since. Of course, efforts to improve to color of Red Delicious to the deep, mahogany red we all know and love, have been underway for at least 100 years.

2. For most of us who grow apples such as Ashmead's Kernel and Pomme Gris in our backyards, appearance is the least of our concerns. While it is nice to grow some very sweet, late apples like Fuji (which also has a fine aroma and flavor when home grown), most of us are quite willing to sacrifice some sugar (soluble solids) for a little more acidity and flavor. Nor do we require a specific size range, and can grow very large apples like Spigold and Mutsu, or small ones like Pixie Crunch, even though these apples would not have mass market appeal because of their size, to say nothing of their overall appearance.

3. The Washington Apple Commission has recently asked the state Department of Agriculture to institute new standards for the marketing of several apple varieties. The two qualities that are thought to require improvement are soluble solids in Red Delicious (to prevent premature picking and marketing) from 10% to 11%, and and improvement in "crispness" of Gala and Jonagold. U.S. growers are under intense pressure from imports, particularly from China, and, while the Chinese had a bad year in 2002, they know this will not be true every year. Prices for Washington apples are up over $2 a box from 2001, and over $4 a box from 2002, and this may be the first year since 1995 that growers have made any real money. As far as I am concerned, this is very good news, and I hope the industry is able to fend off the foreign competition and remain viable. And they are correct that they have to have a clear edge on quality to remain competitive in the mass market. It is not really clear to me how they will approach the improvement of "crispness". It always seemed to me that the longer an apple hangs on the tree, increasing its soluble solids, the more likely it is to become mealy in storage. Whatever the case, these are two of the qualities that Washington commercial growers believe are important for their competitive survival.

4. The language police have informed me that latinization of Edward Fackler's name would yield "Eduardo", vice "Edwardo". Just a small point I know, which does not really detract from the overall amusement of fiddling with Ed's name. I know he is in stiches, just as I am. The real trouble with Ed is that he actually knows what he is talking about, which can be very irritating, and he lives in heaven, a place where many of us will never go.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA





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