“How did they get cinnamon IN there?” “Tastes like Bath and Body Works Apple hand soap smells.” “Tart ... with a hint of rum, I think?”
Does this sound like your ordinary book club get-together? Well, it’s close, only there are no books and we’re eating apples. It’s My Produce Club (a working title).
The premise is simple: like a book club, but we talk fresh produce. And I don’t make anyone do homework ahead of time. Instead, I call on my contacts in the vendor community to bring amazing things to try.
I asked apple shippers to send me their latest and greatest branded apples. We keyed in on later season apples, which ruled out a few, like my personal favorite SweeTango, but I wanted to focus on apples that marketers push when apples aren’t really top of mind for consumers.
I held two events, Dec. 11 and 12. We trialed apples shippers sent to me; some I bought at Whole Foods in Brooklyn, N.Y., and H.E. Butt’s Central Market in Austin, Texas; and a few I brought home from the expo at the New York Produce Show in early December.
After the first group, I decided a trip home in a suitcase wasn’t the greatest way to transport apples, so I bought some fresh samples at Central Market to do organic versus conventional taste comparisons.
Apple favorites
Before we got started, I asked everyone about their favorite apple. No surprise here that many attendees said Honeycrisp. It’s in the top 5 apple varieties women prefer to purchase, according to The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2016.
But what was interesting is I also surveyed people on what apple they buy most often. Most of the moms said they bought gala and granny smith because, as one said, “Those are the kid apples because the kids will take one bite and waste them. I save the ‘good’ (air quotes) apples for me.”
Organic versus conventional
I did a few head-to-head comparisons of organic fruit versus conventional fruit. These were purchased on the same day of the party. Both were from Central Market because I wanted to give each version as even a playing field as I could. Very scientific, I know.
The conventional Opal won out over its organic counterpart, as did the Ambrosia. Organic Envy won the side-by-side comparison for that variety. I kept the tasters in the dark until after they were done choosing a favorite.
But what about GMOs?
So, I live in a suburb of Austin, Texas. My friends are moms, many of whom you’d consider a little “crunchy.” NO ONE was put off by Okanagan Specialty Growers’ Arctic Golden, well, other than the fact that it was a golden delicious and let’s be real, golden delicious is no one’s favorite.
Every single person tried the apple, which I sliced several hours before the event alongside a standard golden delicious to show the difference with the genetically modified non-browning apple.
The second group must have gotten a really great one, too, because they all loved it. It had “notes of vanilla,” even. The moms really loved that they could put it in a lunch and their kid would, hopefully, eat it because it wouldn’t turn brown. Color me surprised, Austin Hippies.
So, who won?
I know you’ve been waiting to learn the group’s favorites. Opal ranked high among tasters, as did Koru, and Piñata, but the No. 1 favorite for both groups was…
Sweet Cheeks.
If you’ve never heard of it, there’s a good reason. It’s a test variety, a cross of Honeycrisp and Pink Lady from Hess Bros. Fruit Co., Leola, Pa., that sales manager Andy Figart says was only in a few stores this season. He expects availability to expand in the next several years.
So, there you have it. The inaugural meeting of My Produce Club. We’re looking for other things to try. Potatoes, maybe? Let me know what you’d like to see us put to the test, and I’ll bring my friends.
Want to know more about the apple tasters? Check them out here.