|
Could there be any apple name more likely to excite my antipathy than "Candy Crisp?" Apples should not be tooth-achingly sweet.
I shall nonetheless strive to give an accurate account of this variety, all the while hoping that the fruit will not live up to its saccharine name.
With its yellow-green peel, prominent lenticels, and faint pink blush, this large ribbed apple resembles nothing less than a Honeygold poured into whatever elongated mold is used to make Red Delicious.
The blush is more pronounced on a smaller and yellower sample.
Notice the cutouts in the blush where curved shadows fell on the curved surface, suggesting many apples clustered tightly on the tree.
Candy Crisp's half-coarse flesh lives up to "crisp."
As for "candy," this mild apple's sweetness does not cloy. It is well balanced, enough to showcase its flavors—if it had any.
Alas, Candy Crisp is lacking in character, despite a pleasing crunch. There is a little corn syrup, though even this is washed out, and in one sample a distant whiff of honeydew melon. Unlike the similarly crisp and attenuated Mutsu, there is no distinctive apple flavor.
In this respect Candy Crisp is akin to Red Delicious (though juicier and with better texture), and may please fans of that popular variety. Indeed Stark Bros., which sells Candy Crisp trees, says that Candy Crisp is "thought to" descend from Red D.
how dare you besmirch the phenomenal c^2
ReplyDeleteThat is right, anonymous one.
DeleteIt is I, Adam the blogger, taster of apples, describer of the blush, connoisseur of crunch, parser of tastes, who looks the Candy Crisp in the eye and says,
"meh."
Your mileage may vary.
Adam, I totally agree with your description of Candy Crisp. I bought some from the farmers market about a month ago and ate the lost one today. The ones I consumed the first week were just pure candy without much flavor, if any. The one I ate today had some flavor and tasted much better but still not as good as a flavorful Mutsu. The good thing about this apple is that the one I just ate today looked as good and crisp as the ones I had a month ago with a deeper yellow color and more blush.
ReplyDelete@Andy, sounds like these might improve with a little storage, something I hadn't tried. Thanks!
DeleteAgreed that they are not the most flavorful apple, but what I love them for is mixing with other apples in apple salads, where their rather outstanding crunch factor helps balance out apples that are more flavorful but not quite as crunchy. Another reviewer reports they brown too quickly for salads, but I toss my apples for salad with a little lemon juice and sometimes a little ascorbic or citric acid as they are being sliced or diced and have not had a problem. The large size means less work prepping for things like salad. They would also be good for making nice big slices to serve to little kids, many of whom aren't big on tartness. Good for things like spreading with peanut butter (with or without a sprinkle of granola or sunflower seeds) for snacks. I try to get some every fall for salads. Mine come from Tonnemaker Hill Farm on the famed Royal Slope of WA state, as do most of my other apples that I don't grow myself.
ReplyDeleteAn apple for everyone, I say! And not necessarily the same one.
DeleteBut for salads, how would you rate this compared to, say, Mutsu?
I have this one in my collection and I've yet to see it have as much coloring as these one's I see here. I have found it to be an unexciting apple, mostly because of it's one sided tasting experience.
ReplyDelete