Ambrosias have become one of my favourites over the winter here. D from the article: 'Wilfrid pulls out a pocket-sized colour chart with enough chips to make Benjamin Moore jealous. According to the chart, the Ambrosia has coloured up nicely, but that's not the final test. He slices one in half, douses the white flesh with iodine. "It's a trick you can do at home," he says. If the apple is ripe, the iodine should blacken just the outside edges. But almost the entire flesh darkens, indicating the starch has not yet started converting to sugar." Who knew! Apples growers, of course! http://thetyee.ca/Life/2009/11/18/MotherTree/
The favourite apple here, too, particularly the ones from the Okanagan. For years they were only available at a small specialty produce store, but we now see them in the large grocery stores. Only thing is, the ones in the larger stores have been smaller and don't have as good a flavour and may be waxed. Talking to a retired trucker, that moved produce over the years, about the flavour difference he said it may be because of the soil the trees are growing in. He had noticed flavour differences in some apples depending on where they were grown. Whatever the reason there is quite a difference. Was hoping to get an 'Ambrosia' apple tree through the retail nursery, but seems it may be some years before it's available to the public retail nurseries. Thanks for the link, interesting.
Note they are grown in the Okanagan- more heat in summer. They ripen only in warmer summers west of the mountains.
They have actually been available to individual growers for several years. I tasted them at UBC Apple Festival and starting looking to buy one and was eventually able to buy one, from a nursery that I can't recall but that was somewhere between Vancouver and Abbotsford, about 5 years ago. I have pulled off the fruits for the last two years but this coming year I'm gonna let er rip.
Yes, thank you, was wondering about that after reading your comment on the forums here about Braeburn apples not ripening in W. Washington, interesting. The Ambrosia apples in the large retail stores may not be fully ripe, they don't seem like the same apple as sold in the smaller store at all. Soccerdad, you have more patience than me , think I'd have to let one apple mature. Will keep my eye's open next spring and hopefully get a tree if available. Would be interesting to hear how they do in the Fraser Valley climate.
We have a tree planted in our variety trials at the farm where I work. This year the apples ripened, with the additional heat of a very warm summer. Most years they are pretty tasteless.
