FoodFood InformationFruitDeciduous
Botanically, apples are members of the rose family and are related topears and quince. They are grown in the temperate latitudes of all continents.In North America, the northern half of the United States and the neighboringareas of Canada are apple country. The only southern states that producefair-sized apple crops are Virginia and North Carolina, and even here applesare grown only in the cooler, higher altitudes.
Apples are now available twelve months of the year. However, as late asthe early 1900s, apples were not in season during the summer months. Theywere harvested in the fall and stored in cool areas. By late spring theywere long in the tooth and would start to get soft and eventually decay.As better methods of refrigeration came into use, the apples were put incold storage and had a longer shelf life. At the end of World War I, westarted to bring in some from the Southern Hemisphere, where the seasonsare the reverse of ours. The big breakthrough in extending the apple seasonoccurred in the 1940s at the Cornell University Agricultural College, whenexperiments with controlled atmosphere storage proved successful. Thanksto the CA process, fine, crisp apples are now available year-round.
While there are hundreds of documented varieties of apples, only about adozen are grown commercially on a large scale. The top four varieties inthe United States are the Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Mclntosh, andRome Beauty, all of which are old standbys. The Granny Smith, a relativenew comer, is rapidly gaining popularity. The Red Delicious accounts formore than 40 percent of the total tonnage of apples produced in the UnitedStates.
Unlike some of the other fresh fruits that hit flavor peak when they reachfull ripeness, a ripe apple is worthless. A mature apple is soft, mealy,and dry. The ideal apple is one that is crisp, crunchy, and juicy. So selectvery firm, colorful, unbruised apples. The medium-sized fruit is usuallythe best buy. Even though larger apples often sell for more money, theyare more prone to bruises and are less apt to be as firm as the medium-sizedones. However, undersized apples (less than 2 1/4 inches in diameter) areoften too woody.
Unlike the rest of the deciduous fruits, apples are at flavor peak whenjust picked from the tree. They should always be kept under refrigerationand never (even in a fruit bowl) at room temperature. An apple that is allowedto get mellow loses the desired crunch and juicy flavor.
WHEN TO BUY: At peak October through June
WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Very firm, colorful, unbruised fruit
HOW TO STORE: Refrigerate immediately