Too green, too early, and doubtless too unripe, the very first apples of the 2024 harvest landed at Farmers Market in Arlington today.
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And though I grouse about farmers who pick apples before their time, in this case I say, not a moment too soon.
I ought to feel more gratitude for a wholesale–retail system that brings me apples year round, but I am heartily sick of tired apples picked last fall.
Later Vista Bellas sport considerably more color:
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| Vista Bella from another year. |
so I expect a puckering experience. But here (fetches apple from refrigerator) is my report:
Vista Bella of mid-July
Vista's flesh is crisp, a green-inflected white, with a satisfying crunch. Most of its native flavors are, as expected, overwhelmed by a sour acidity.
Not for the Honeycrisp crowd, and I know from experience that Vista Bella can do better.
But by gosh, it tastes fresh, and like something grown here. I'll take it.
(And there is also some underlying sweetness, and a hint of that oddball watermelon-candy note that crops up in Vista when ripe).
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I only bought three of these, because the early apples (especially when picked too soon) do not last for than a few days, even if refrigerated.
So it will be back to those year-old apples until Farmers Market returns next week.
Western WI: Yes, but Yellow Transparent is ripe now. While it is a dubious fresh eating apple (unless you can get it straight from the tree, it tends not to be very crisp), it is one of the best apples for drying. I am in the process of getting some for that very thing, and if a couple are eaten and are fairly crisp, I’ll feel great about that as well. The freshly dried apple slices are something you have to taste. They’re wonderful!
ReplyDelete@anon, I am a huge fan.
DeleteThey are usually ripe around Aug 1 in these parts. For about an hour and 45 minutes.
Western WI: When drying YT, I use the slightly overripe ones -- the ones that are translucent in color. It doesn't seem to matter if they are mealy when you are drying them (and obviously not when making into applesauce). When first dry, they are wonderfully crisp, and the taste seems to concentrate in the dried slices. If you have a dehydrator, I definitely recommend doing this with any "extras" or slightly overripe ones.
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