![]() ![]() FirstFruits Farms is now the orchard’s name. Older sources list Broetje Orchards however, Broetje was bought by the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan in December 2018 with the involvement of FirstFruits Marketing. In the United States, FirstFruits Farms in Washington is the only grower of Opal Apple trees. and a few in Europe, and you can’t buy the trees at nurseries. For now, it’s grown in one orchard in the U.S. The Opal Apple tree is not commercially available, however. The amount of polyphenol oxidase varies in each apple, but in general, Opal apples resist enzymatic browning very well. That’s a slightly longer time than it took Golden Delicious apples to start turning brown. Informal experiments by reporters and blog writers showed that an Opal apple that’s been cut open can resist most browning for about eight hours – and even then, it really doesn’t turn that brown. This enzyme causes browning when exposed to oxygen and is the reason why cut apples have to be submerged in lemon juice or other liquids to prevent that brown color from forming. You can store it in the fridge for a couple of months easily, and the apple is naturally low in an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase. One of the Opal apple’s best characteristics is its resistance to decay. The taste is sweet-tart, and it’s a terrific snack and salad apple. You’ll usually find a small brownish patch near the stem this effect is called russeting. This apple has a bright golden yellow skin with crisp but slightly tender creamy white flesh. They’re often available in organic form, too. If you’re worried about genetically modified organisms in the food chain, you don’t have to worry about these apples. It became the first apple to receive verification from the Non-GMO Project. Second, the Opal apple’s parent, Golden Delicious, is descended from the Grimes Golden, which is still available today.ĭid you know that the Opal apple is non-GMO? Not only was the original hybrid a naturally occurring one, but the apple has been tested and grown naturally, with no GMOs. The Opal apple became commercially available in markets in 2010.Ī couple of fun facts: First, this Opal apple is not related to an apple from the 1930s that was also called the Opal. The hybrid of these two yellow apples was discovered in 1999 in a Czech orchard, saved, and tested in over 60 European orchards. Topaz apples, one of the parents of the Opal apple, The Opal apple is a direct descendant of the Golden Delicious, with the Topaz apple as its other parent. It wasn’t that long ago that the only yellow apples you could find in grocery stores were Golden Delicious apples, often derided for their softer texture but desired for their sweetness in baked goods. Looking to buy an Opal apple tree? Check availability. Opal apples offer excellent flavor and texture for both baking and eating out of hand, and they’re among the tastiest apples available when they’re in season.ĭid you see bags of golden yellow apples in your local grocery store during winter and spring and wonder what they were and why they disappear in summer? Those were Opal apples you saw. The Opal Apple Tree is a wonderful cultivar discovered by accident in a Czech orchard in the 1990s. ![]()
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