GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post

12-10-2004, 10:47 PM

writes:
Thanks, I wondered if anyone would read it. It got kind of long and I'm
guilty myself of skimming over a long post pretty fast unless it grabs
me. I love stories like that though and I love the fact that little
histories like that were not all lost over time.

I also thank you, Steve. It was very interesting. It also explained the
very different qualities of the "same" apple. It's great you took the
time to post it.

noone_atall@home writes:

Any answers/comments are appreciated....

1. When I was a kid, we got "Red Delicious" apples that were. They had
just a hint of green and were firm, tart and wonderful. In the last 10
years (at least), I've noticed that the Red Delicious apples I buy at
the store are soft, yellow and mealy. My mom and a friend noticed the
same thing.

Likewise have I, only for much, much longer. While fresh off the tree are
great! After reading the messages about this, it appears that the apples
of my childhood, early adulthood (both from my grandparents' trees, and my
own R.D. tree may be from the original varieties and have escaped the
"improvements."

2. Growing up in a small town, a local fraternal organization always
had a Christmas party where the kids each got a huge red apple. These
things were giants -- about the size of a softball -- and they were
tasty too. Anyone know about such a variety and where I could get
some?

Thanks! -Cloy

2) If the softball size apples had some green streaks on the skin, it may
have been a Rome Beauty.

Could be, Homer. However, the Romes are about the same size as a large
Delicious. The Kings are much, much larger, quite frankly the largest
apple I've ever see, and growing up in the Yakima Valley, I saw some
monster apples!

As I recall, they usually used the Romes for apple-dunking. I think it
was at least partly because of the more rounded shape of the apple to make
it more of a challenge.

Glenna