I love Gala apples. They’re sweet, and crisp, and don’t have too thick of a skin…
… when they’re good.
When they’re bad, they’re mushy and mealy and yucky.
The trouble is, it seems like about half of the apples I buy are the latter, and I can’t tell how to differentiate prior to purchase.
Is there some secret that mom forget to teach me to tell if an apples is yummy or nasty? I give 'em a squeeze before I buy them, but even the nasty ones feel firm.
Please enlighten me.
I’ve yet to have a bad Fuji apple, and like you, I have no idea how to buy apples.
For commercial sale, apples are picked before they are ripe and place in controlled storage, so I would avoid the large chain supermarkets and head for the local orchard/markets. My research shows that gala apples are picked from Sept. thru Nov, and have a shelf life of 10 to 14 days. The mealy mushy apples are past their prime. Buy smaller fruit, with a nice bright skin.
I’ve found Granny Smiths and Empire apples to be the most reliable for tastiness. The latter have a crisp, sweet/tart taste that might substitute for your Gala, which I’ve never tried. For any apple, I look for a smallish one with a very glossy appearance, and for Granny Smiths I find the heart-shaped, darker green ones are much, much better than the ones that are more cylindrical and lighter green. (Shapes as viewed in side profile).
And don’t buy fruit out of season; it will definitely be of lesser quality. See what herman_and_bill said.
I always smell my apples… if they smell mouthwateringly apple-y, and look unblemished, then they go in my basket.
And after trying Gala and Fuji and Pink Lady apples, which are crunchy and tart and juicy and satisfying, I am completely mystified why Delicious still sell at all… they are mealy and have leathery skin and the last one I had was almost dessicated.
Yet again, marketing outdoes content…
Apples have a side profile?
Right, you know, looking at it from the side.
Definitely avoid apples with sloping foreheads.