Guest guest Posted October 23, 2006 Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 Hi All, I found a very old, uncultivated, untended, organic, heirloom red and golden delicious apple orchard in the lower Yakima Valley this weekend while I was getting grapes. The apples are sweet, juicy, tender-skinned, crisp, tree-ripened and have never been refrigerated (except for some chilly nights lately). If you've ever tried the red delicious apples that are sold in the stores these days, you might have wondered where they got their name. I picked one directly off the tree a few weeks ago at an organic commercial farm and it was the most gorgeous apple I'd ever seen, but it tasted like cardboard! Producers are sacrificing flavor and sweetness in favor of things like storability and physical appearance. The apples I got this weekend, however, live up to their name! As many of you know, our food distribution system works in such a way as to prohibit small farmers from competing in the marketplace. The mega-chain-stores would rather deal with huge producers who can guarantee a predictable supply. Small orchards like the one I discovered this weekend are being bulldozed at an alarming rate in Eastern Washington to make room for government-subsidized tract housing. Quite often, owners do not even bother to spend the money to bring the fruit to market and every year it just falls to the ground. One result of this unfortunate circumstance is that the soil naturally gets very rich. In commercial orchards, even organic operations, almost no fruit ends up on the ground. This is one reason why these apples are very special. I brought back a few boxes and I'm offering them for $1 per pound. The orchard is in the process of being destroyed, so this the last year these apples will be available. Feel free to call if you'd like me to hold some for you. I have mostly red delicious but some goldens too. Nora 425.802.0165 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 23, 2006 Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 I would love to buy 2 pounds of apples! Thanks! Where do you live? I am located in UDistrict. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 23, 2006 Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 I got a box of these apples and they are everything Nora said. Divine taste!!!! Shari Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 23, 2006 Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 Nora wrote: The apples are sweet, juicy, tender-skinned, crisp, tree-ripened and have never been refrigerated (except for some chilly nights lately). Mark: Is there a problem with refrigerating apples or other produce? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 23, 2006 Report Share Posted October 23, 2006 I'm in Bellevue, near where 148th intersects I-90. Feel free to call if you'd like me to hold some for you. Nora 425.802.0165 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 My first impression from Nora's comments, was that some store-bought produce (like apples) may have been stored for weeks in refrigerators. I also know that a study was done on the lycopene (or was it another nutrient?) in watermelon and the refrigerated melon had lower levels than the un-refrigerated ones. It makes sense this may apply to other nutrients and other fruits. Jeff > Mark: > Is there a problem with refrigerating apples or other produce? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 Hi Mark, Refrigeration can interfere with the ripening/sweetening process and causes the skins on some fruits to toughen. The softer fruits like plums, peaches, and cherimoyas can be destroyed by refrigeration. I've stopped buying commercial plums and peaches altogether because they are tasteless. I suspect refrigeration is the main problem because I was talking to a farmer last summer and he said it's very important that the temps be kept constant at a certain level (don't remember what that was) and if it fluctuates the fruit won't ripen at all. He said supermarkets don't pay enough attention to making sure temps stay constant. Apples are among the hardiest fruits where refrigeration is concerned, but I like getting unrefrigerated fruit when I can as it's usually sweeter and tenderer. Nora www.RawSchool.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 24, 2006 Report Share Posted October 24, 2006 I grew up without refrigerateor in Taiwan. When I first came to the US I wasn't eating fruit for a long while because the fruits I got from supermarket didn't appeal to me. Now I try to get my fruit from farmers' market or U-pick farms. I keep my fruits out of the frige in baskets. If they rot I just compost them. Helen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 Hi Nora! Wow! I wish I had not missed this one! If you ever get produce in and you have the time please call me at (206) 528-5350 as sometimes I can not get to my email for a week or more, and I'll always be interested if I can work it out to get to Bellevue. Namaste, Janaki - " Nora Lenz " <nmlenz <RawSeattle > Sunday, October 22, 2006 7:49 PM Re: [RawSeattle] More fruit > Hi All, > I found a very old, uncultivated, untended, organic, heirloom red and golden delicious apple orchard in the lower Yakima Valley this weekend while I was getting grapes. The apples are sweet, juicy, tender-skinned, crisp, tree-ripened and have never been refrigerated (except for some chilly nights lately). If you've ever tried the red delicious apples that are sold in the stores these days, you might have wondered where they got their name. I picked one directly off the tree a few weeks ago at an organic commercial farm and it was the most gorgeous apple I'd ever seen, but it tasted like cardboard! Producers are sacrificing flavor and sweetness in favor of things like storability and physical appearance. The apples I got this weekend, however, live up to their name! > As many of you know, our food distribution system works in such a way as to prohibit small farmers from competing in the marketplace. The mega-chain-stores would rather deal with huge producers who can guarantee a predictable supply. Small orchards like the one I discovered this weekend are being bulldozed at an alarming rate in Eastern Washington to make room for government-subsidized tract housing. Quite often, owners do not even bother to spend the money to bring the fruit to market and every year it just falls to the ground. One result of this unfortunate circumstance is that the soil naturally gets very rich. In commercial orchards, even organic operations, almost no fruit ends up on the ground. This is one reason why these apples are very special. > I brought back a few boxes and I'm offering them for $1 per pound. The orchard is in the process of being destroyed, so this the last year these apples will be available. Feel free to call if you'd like me to hold some for you. I have mostly red delicious but some goldens too. > > Nora > 425.802.0165 > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 5, 2006 Report Share Posted November 5, 2006 Nora, Those apples are really good. Thanks. Laurie RawSeattle , " Janaki Rose " <Janaki wrote: > > Hi Nora! > Wow! I wish I had not missed this one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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