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Soluna

This handsome apple blushes deep red, at its most saturated as dark as any Arkansas Black or Black Oxford. ¶ 

A very dark red apple, sliightly tapered, with light dots.

It is decorated with many small light lenticel dots, and the unblushed portion is streaky over yellow. ¶ 

Soluna is sightly tapered and slightly ribbed, firm in hand with a pleasant fruity aroma.

So, Luna?

Crisp, fine-grained light yellow flesh breaks off in satisfying chunks. Mild, sweet, and mostly balanced, flavors are predominantly floral with a hint of grapes, corn syrup, and lemon.

These flavors combine for an almost vinous effect.

This attractive apple would be even better if not quite so sweet, but I suspect many would consider the sugar a feature and not a flaw. Soluna is not a "Honeycrisp type," but has a satisfying crunch and an original flavor set.

Provenance

I found these at a fruit stand in Seattle, labeled local, but they are imports. A PLU sticker bearing the notation "WA Farm Direct" abetted this confusion: WA, the abbreviation for Washington State, stands in this case for Western Australia.

Soluna, also marketed as Bravo, is an Australian Royal Gala x Cripps Red cross.  Its actual variety name is the unpoetic ANABP 01: here is its patent.

According to the apple's website, Soluna was developed by John Cripps himself.

Comments

  1. I'm looking forward to coming across this one. Kinda surprising it was at a farmer's market -- clearly the rules for local production are looser in Washington than they are at certified farmer's markets here in California.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not a farmers market, a commercial fruit stand called "Top Banana!" I don't know what the rules might be for greenmarkets in Washington.

      Delete

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