Friday, September 18, 2009


Royal Gala Apple


Royal Gala Apples on Tree


Royal Galas are the consumer's favorite apple and the best selling apple in the world. Known for their fantastic aroma, almost like the smell of a fresh baked apple pie.

Galas have a delicious, supersweet flavor, and a good quality apple should make that apple crunch noise when you bite into it. LOL! Sample Below!




I recommend buying unwaxed apples until December to really enjoy their flavor and freshness. It's hard to find an unwaxed apple after December because then only big packing houses have fruit available and they regularly wax their apples to keep quality consistent.

Regular apple stocks are pulled from coolers that have ethelyne gas scrubbers (removing ethylene gas from the coolers extends the apple's life span) till about the end of the year. Later fruit is pulled from "Controlled Atmosphere" rooms "CA" which can keep apples fresh for up to 2 years. The "CA" rooms keep the apples in a kind of dormant state until the they are needed. Look for the "CA" symbol on the side of the apple box in January and latter months to ensure you're getting good quality fruit.

When buying galas pick up the apple and squeeze it between your fingers, good quality galas should be firm and hard, not spongy. The stem should not have mold or be black a good indicator of quality. If the apple feels excessively waxy this is a sure sign that the apple has been sitting around and is not fresh.

The apple seeds should be brown, white seeds indicate the apple was picked too early (some growers try to get a jump on the market in the beginning of the harvest when prices are usually higher). Immature apples can cause some mild discomfort (stomach ache) though not life threatening

Inspect the skin for pockmarks, brown spotting and brown rot at the stem is often missed. Sometimes the apple is actually split open at the base of the stem. These are all good reasons to avoid purchasing these particular apples.

Good quality apples have nice eye appeal and at least 70% red color. Cool evenings turn apples red and crisp them up, not the sun as many people believe. Apples fare better in cold climate regions. A California Gala will be greenish in color, while the same apple grown in Washington State will be almost completely red.

When you're purchasing bagged apples put your nose to the bag and inhale, a wine aroma indicates there is decay in the bag. Remember apples produce a huge amount of ethelyne gas so do not store apples in bags, because it will reduce their longevity. Keep your apples refrigerated whenever possible. Ethylene gas from high ethylene producing fruits like apples, avocadoes, tomatoes, and bananas will kill cut flowers quickly.

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