Adam's Apples

Rubbery beats mealy. Most apples grow mealy after enough time in storage, or in poor storage, and who likes that? Some sooner than others, some more and some less. Even staunch Arkansas Black starts to go a little granular by April. Yet a few apples take a different tack as they age. Varieties like Gold Rush and Esopus Spitzenberg keep their crunch and grow distinctly elastic.

It's a personal thing As usual this time of year I am eating many of the hard, dense apples that populate supermarkets. Tooth, like taste, is fundamental to an apple's quality and is a personal preference. Some people just can't get their teeth around the really hard apples. Meanwhile I am noticing real differences in the texture of what's in the stores. Off-season apples are stored for months and transported, sometimes for thousands of miles. It's no wonder that growers and retailers (and consumers) prefer sturdy fruits that keep well and withstand the rigors of all that handling.