North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["William C. Garthright" <billg@inebraska.com>]

> It often happens that the October night frost will freeze the outer layers of 
> the apples, and then the pickers must wait until the apples thaw.
>   


I've got to say that I'm amazed an apple can partially freeze without 
damage. Do you know why that is, Doug? Usually, freezing breaks the cell 
walls in fruit, right? So that's why they get mushy when thawed? But 
that doesn't happen with apples?


> Generally for longest keeping one picks a little earlier than if one is 
> aiming for maximum quality, especially quality relatively early after picking.


I planted "keepers" specifically so they'd last me awhile in the winter. 
So I'm not sure that I really need /maximum/ keeping quality. On the 
other hand, I tend to like everything I eat - especially if I've grown 
it myself - and I'm no gourmet, so I probably don't need maximum 
quality, either! Heh, heh. As I've mentioned, I tend to like green 
apples even better than ripe ones, anyway.

So I won't worry about this TOO much. But the more experience I have 
growing my own fruit, the more I realize how tough it must be for people 
worried about growing fruit for sale. In my case, I can eat - and even 
enjoy - fruit that no one in their right mind would buy. Heck, I 
generally give away the good stuff - and keep for myself anything that's 
damaged, partially rotten, wormy, or just ugly (in some cases, that's 
pretty much the whole crop!).

The more I grow fruit, the more I wonder how it can be so cheap in 
grocery stores.

Thanks for the info, Doug!

Bill
Lincoln, NE (zone 5)

--
To trace something unknown back to something known is alleviating, 
soothing, gratifying and gives moreover a feeling of power. Danger, 
disquiet, anxiety attend the unknown - the first instinct is to 
eliminate these distressing states. First principle: any explanation is 
better than none. - Friedrich Nietzsche