I'm In Love With Sonya!

We've been eating one of our faves, Fujis, but they are now last seasons and are often a bit soft.

Picked up a few Sonja, apparently grown in Washington state and went back for more. Sweet and crisp - delightful.

Full description at http://www.orangepippin.com/apples/sonya.aspx

It is a New Zealand development from crossing Gala and Red delicious. Worth watching for if you haven't tried them. Introduced in 2000 and this is the first time I've seen them in the stores up here.

I love a Gala, think Red Delicious is about the worst apple around, and have no idea how the two would taste mixed.
If I ever see any i'll try them.

I love a Gala, think Red Delicious is about the worst apple around, and have no idea how the two would taste mixed.
If I ever see any i'll try them.

I think Red Delicious is the cilantro of the apple world - I really LOVE them...but have met many in your camp. How do you feel about Fuji apples?

We usually get either Gala or Red Delicious for eating, so look forward to finding some Sonjas in these parts.

I discovered Jazz at Raley's two weeks ago....a perfect red/green apple. The crispest, juicyest I remember having, and with a nice clean flavor. Love it. Here is a link with a description.
http://www.produceoasis.com/Items_folder/Fruits/jazz-apple.asp

I love a Gala, think Red Delicious is about the worst apple around, and have no idea how the two would taste mixed.
If I ever see any i'll try them.

I think Red Delicious is the cilantro of the apple world - I really LOVE them...but have met many in your camp. How do you feel about Fuji apples?

While Fuji is very juicy and sweet, there is something about it that doesn't appeal to my taste buds. My absolute favorites in the apple world are the Mutsu/Crispin and the Stayman Winesap (neither of which are ever available in this area, but are common where I grew up in Georgia). Golden Delicious is also a favorite when I just want sweet with a nice flavor. Red Delicious is just sweet with very little flavor to me. It's kind of like drinking a light beer - without good flavor, what's the point?

[David M. Bueker]

Red Delicious is the worst apple in the world.

FWIW, the Sonja doesn't derive any characteristics I can see from the Red Delicious parent.

[Jenise]

Red Delicious is the worst apple in the world.

Actually, a red delicious is a good apple when it's picked partially green in color (and how they used to come to market when I was a kid), but they don't sell well unless they're heavily red (and essentially overripe) so, yeah, now it's the worst apple in the world.

[Jenise]

New apple to me, Bill. Maybe we're shipping them all north, like the California oranges I could never get in California but buy every December/January here.

New apple to me, Bill. Maybe we're shipping them all north, like the California oranges I could never get in California but buy every December/January here.

If you remind me before you come up this way again I can try to pick up some for you. Don't know about the 'mericans going back across the border though - might think you are intent on waging bacterial warfare on their apple crop - even though the ones you'd be 'repatriating' came from there in the first place.

More articles here http://www.goodfruit.com/issues.php?article=63&issue=3

Sonya, a cross of Royal Gala and standard Red Delicious, is better than either, Fox said. It doesn’t lose its flavor in storage like Gala, it doesn’t have a thick skin like Red Delicious, and it’s sweeter than either.

Hy Bill, if you have the chance, look for an apple called in italian "annurca". A very ancient type (traces already in the 23 a.C. if I remember well), specific from the Campania region in the South of Italy. You don't pick them from the tree but they fall down before the time. Then they mature for weeks on a layer of hay under the sun, farmers need to turn them once a day to have a uniform colour, to water them during the night in order to avoid they become dry. The result is a small apple, with a white and crunchy pulp, yellow and red streaks, incredibly tasty, even greater smell and, as characteristic, a bit of acidity which makes it very juicy.
There is also a wonderful vinegar from the annurca apple.

Like the Mutsu, the Stayman Winesap is OK, but I've never seen the Italian annurca

Been eating Pacific Rose a fair bit lately.

For anyone near Vancouver, the UBC annual Apple Festival is worthwhile. Held the weekend after Canadian Thanksgiving, the last one offered 120 different apples

[Jenise]

Hy Bill, if you have the chance, look for an apple called in italian "annurca". A very ancient type (traces already in the 23 a.C. if I remember well), specific from the Campania region in the South of Italy. You don't pick them from the tree but they fall down before the time. Then they mature for weeks on a layer of hay under the sun, farmers need to turn them once a day to have a uniform colour, to water them during the night in order to avoid they become dry. The result is a small apple, with a white and crunchy pulp, yellow and red streaks, incredibly tasty, even greater smell and, as characteristic, a bit of acidity which makes it very juicy.
There is also a wonderful vinegar from the annurca apple.

Vincenzo, what an interesting apple. Never heard of it, or of the ripening process, but it sounds fascinating.

In the South of Italy it is a cult apple...

Annurca2.jpg

Annurca.jpg

In the South of Italy it is a cult apple...

For a nice description (and some recipes) see http://tasteofsorrento.sorrentoinfo.com/prodotti/melannurca_eng.asp

I rather doubt that we would be able to find these apples on North America.