Apples - Which are the best

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pmv

Lifer
May 30, 2008
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Papayas are good, we put them i mixed fruit salads all the time along with the others mentioned.
Ever try Dragonfruit? I also like Prickly pear fruits especially in jams.

Pretty sure I've had papaya and dragonfruit at some point, but not very often. I think the thing about apples vs more exotic fruits is simply that they keep longer. Mango and the rest I don't buy as routine, I guess, for that reason.
 

whm1974

Diamond Member
Jul 24, 2016
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I concede I may not be fully informed on this matter! Though how easy would it be for large producers to switch variety if it came to it?
Will there would be a shortage of bananas for a while as the large producers plant them and wait until they bear fruit. I have no idea how long this will take.

If they have to domesticate the banana again from wild varieties this will take some time.
 

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
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I am no expert, but I ALWAYS have apples in my fridge's crisper. ALWAYS!

In recent times (~18 months?) my preferred apply is a Fuji. Not always, some are tasting better to me than others.

I ALWAYS buy organic apples, they say to stay away from the others, too many/much pesticides are used on the other ones.

I often buy the green apples, 'cause they are cheaper. They are tarter, less sweet, but I like them anyway.
 

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
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I bought one of these yesterday, it was huge (6.0 lb!). Grown in Costa Rica. Cost me a measly $2.79. This morning I cut it into slices about 7/8" thick, sliced off the rind and cut the meat into ~7/8" cubes, put in four plastic bags and froze them. To be used in Sweet & Sour Pork or smoothies. Also, can be cooked with apricots add some sugar, a little lemon juice, and you have a great jam (I can that stuff).
 

whm1974

Diamond Member
Jul 24, 2016
9,460
1,570
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I am no expert, but I ALWAYS have apples in my fridge's crisper. ALWAYS!

In recent times (~18 months?) my preferred apply is a Fuji. Not always, some are tasting better to me than others.

I ALWAYS buy organic apples, they say to stay away from the others, too many/much pesticides are used on the other ones.

I often buy the green apples, 'cause they are cheaper. They are tarter, less sweet, but I like them anyway.
I don't mind fruits with some tartness to them since that helps to prevent me from overeating them. I worry that in the future mass market fruit will be so sweet that consuming them will put diabetics in a coma. The same deal with sweet corn...
 

herm0016

Diamond Member
Feb 26, 2005
8,385
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I take this back. The best oranges I've had are from "heirloom" trees. They're limited release; in the spring I think, and they're the best oranges I've had. I don't know if the good flavor is because they come from old trees, or because they're more carefully selected to justify the premium price, but they're excellent.
We love cara cara oranges.
 

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
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Northern Spy but they are hard to get.
That's the name of a record label.
The problem with most big grocery stores is that they seldom carry more than six to eight varieties, even if you find some that are available for short periods in the fall.
I should experiment more. My local indy big market has a lot of variety in apples, quite a bit in organic. I'll make an inventory next time I go.

I think it's important to look for apples that look reasonably fresh. A lot keep very well but obviously time wears on them.

OTOH, bananas keep terribly, but I always have some on hand. I'm pretty expert in bananas. I buy the standard ones (Cavendish, is that what they're called?), keep them in the fridge where they will ripen slowly. They slowly turn black on the outside. You can actually ripen in the fridge alone, but I tend to tear a few off the hands and place in my oven, which stays around 85 degrees because of the pilot flame, where they ripen in a day or two. Then, if I'm not ready to eat them, I refrigerate them, ripe, ready for eating. Place one refrigerated banana in the microwave for 20 seconds, peal, you have a warm delicious banana.
 
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Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
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I couldn't even say what the best orange would be. I generally have one or two big varieties, and one or two little ones, like clementines, which is my preference. I like the way they peel.
Aren't those tangerines?
 

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
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the ones from our trees. we harvested more than 200 lbs of eating quality apples from 2 of our 3 trees this year. Next year they will be cared for better and we will should get even more that are not wormy. I want to build a cider press.

the arborst said they were the best and largest apples he had seen outside of a grocery store this year. we have no idea of the varieties, but the trees are at least 50 years old.
How do you prevent worms? My sister has an apple tree and lays some on me once in a while. Seems like 1/2 of them have worms (some kind of larvae, I think). I'm considering removing my way too old plum trees (two of them) and planting some other kind of fruit trees. There were a couple of dwarf peach trees here when I moved in but they eventually died. I used to can those peaches, delicious!
 
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Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
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I picked up a few tangerines the other day that were on stems, two and three per stem. No idea what variety, they were just labeled "tangerines". Reasonably priced at $1.49/pound and absolutely beautiful, I figured what the hell. Turned out fantastic. Small, but bigger than most clementines, seedless, easy to peel, juicy, sweet, with that great tanginess you expect from a tangerine. I'm going back today to grab a pile of them.
Fruit rocks!

"The rat, the mouse, the fox, the rabbet; watch the roots; the lion, the tyger, the horse, the elephant watch the fruits." -- William Blake
 

sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
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Papayas are good, we put them i mixed fruit salads all the time along with the others mentioned.
Ever try Dragonfruit? I also like Prickly pear fruits especially in jams.


Papaya milkshake!

Ripe papaya, milk, ice and sugar. Blend til ice pulverised. The ice crystal in the drink is divine.
 

Muse

Lifer
Jul 11, 2001
37,402
8,038
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Papaya milkshake!

Ripe papaya, milk, ice and sugar. Blend til ice pulverised. The ice crystal in the drink is divine.
I saw the most monstrous papayas I've ever seen yesterday at the Berkeley Bowl market (an indy market that got it's name from taking over a bowling alley... they eventually moved into an abandoned Safeway). They must have been 8 pounders or more. Humongous! Sold by the pound, of course.
 

herm0016

Diamond Member
Feb 26, 2005
8,385
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How do you prevent worms? My sister has an apple tree and lays some on me once in a while. Seems like 1/2 of them have worms (some kind of larvae, I think). I'm considering removing my way too old plum trees (two of them) and planting some other kind of fruit trees. There were a couple of dwarf peach trees here when I moved in but they eventually died. I used to can those peaches, delicious!
The earwigs lay eggs in the blooms and they hatch inside the fruit. You have to spray with something like horticultural oil or similar when they just open the blooms in the spring. We just moved in this spring and they were in bloom not long after. Yes, we lost at least 50% this year. I'll have to open a damn fruit stand to get rid of them next fall.
 

Iron Woode

Elite Member
Super Moderator
Oct 10, 1999
30,854
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we used to have a Bartlett pear tree. It was supposed to be a dwarf but it grew 20' high and about 10' across. It blossomed like crazy in the spring and produced huge amounts of pears. I had to fight the hornets to get me some.
 

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
62,679
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I saw the most monstrous papayas I've ever seen yesterday at the Berkeley Bowl market (an indy market that got it's name from taking over a bowling alley... they eventually moved into an abandoned Safeway). They must have been 8 pounders or more. Humongous! Sold by the pound, of course.

Those would be meridol papayas. NOT the sweet, delicious "hawaiian" papayas that I love. To my taste buds, meridol papayas taste and smell like an over-ripe garbage can.
 

F-5

Junior Member
Sep 30, 2011
18
6
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I don't agree with down-voting comments, but this thread keeps tempting me. You blaspheme!

It's russets, granny smiths and cox's. Others are not acceptable. Barring, perhaps, some variety I've never heard of - there are I assume a lot of non-mass-market varieties [or maybe varieties specific to certain countries or regions?] - but most of those people have mentioned that I'm familiar with are just too sweet.

At least nobody has said anything positive about 'golden delicious', so I don't feel I have to put anyone on 'ignore'.

I see. This is one of those threads where a person cannot have an opinion. I’ll be on my way now.
 

F-5

Junior Member
Sep 30, 2011
18
6
81
When a member starts talking about giving another a negative reaction for voicing an opinion on their favorite apples, then tops it off with a parting shot at possibly ignoring them, I’d rather be spending my time elsewhere. Having run a successful forum for nearly a decade I’ve seen and heard it all.
 

Jeeebus

Diamond Member
Aug 29, 2006
9,178
894
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Those would be meridol papayas. NOT the sweet, delicious "hawaiian" papayas that I love. To my taste buds, meridol papayas taste and smell like an over-ripe garbage can.

I gag just from smelling the Central American/Caribbean papayas - I equate the smell with sweaty ass / vomit out in the sun. I hated papaya until last year when we went to Hawaii and I was enlightened that sweet/pleasantly aromatic papayas actually exist.
 

sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
94,679
14,934
126
I saw the most monstrous papayas I've ever seen yesterday at the Berkeley Bowl market (an indy market that got it's name from taking over a bowling alley... they eventually moved into an abandoned Safeway). They must have been 8 pounders or more. Humongous! Sold by the pound, of course.

Are there local papayas in California or are they all imported? Imported tropical fruits suck.
 
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sdifox

No Lifer
Sep 30, 2005
94,679
14,934
126
Those would be meridol papayas. NOT the sweet, delicious "hawaiian" papayas that I love. To my taste buds, meridol papayas taste and smell like an over-ripe garbage can.

Nothing wrong with meridol papaya. Problem is they were not tree ripened.