Gala Apple

The one bad thing about eating fruit every day is the cost. Sometimes, if you don't eat it fast enough, they'll spoil right away (i.e. berries). Good thing apples exist. Apples can last a lot longer than berries. Just pop them in the refrigerator (not the freezer!) and they should last more than a few weeks. I can't really say how long they would live because I usually devour them before they die.

Apples are also a good source of fiber. :) And there is such a large variety of apples that this fruit can accommodate to almost every taste (sweet, sour, bitter, moderately sweet, sweet and tangy, etc)!

If you prefer your fruit to be mildly sweet, you should get yourself some Gala apples. Gala apples are a cross breed between Kidd's Orange Red and Golden Delicious. If you're looking for an in-between, you've got it! What better way to satisfy your middle of the curve tastes than with a cross breed!

^- Gala apples with its leaves, thanks wiki-p -^


^- Top view, notice variation in coloration -^


^- Side view, notice vertical stripes and blush coloring -^


^- Bottom view -^


^- Skin of fruit, notice the stripes -^


^- Cut vertically, notice yellow/creamy color -^


^- Cut horizontal reveals a cute star formed by the seed house -^


^- 1) Full seed 2) Naturally flat seed 3-5) Seed coverings 6/7) Raw seed -^

^- Wax scratched from half an apple -^

Scientific Name: Malus domestica
Origin: New Zealand by J. H. Kidd; cross breed of Golden Delicious & Kidd's Orange Red
Color: The skin is usually about 50% red, 50% yellow with reddish vertical stripes or small blushes and tiny yellow spots with a black center. The internal nectar varies from yellow to cream.
Texture: Firm, rarely any bruising
Description: This is a moderately sweet apple (in taste and smell) with no trace of bitter, tang, or sourness; and also moderately juicy compared to, per se, Fuji apples. In fact, if you're not a big fan of 'too sweet' fruits, you will probably enjoy this apple. However, I won't suggest using these apples as your only source when juicing for apple juice. It may be better to use Gala apples as a supplement to sweeten any juiced fruits or vegetables (i.e. carrot juice with apple juice).

This isn't a particularly grainy fruit. In fact, compared to other apples, this would also rate as 'moderately' grainy--because you can't 'feel' the grainyness, but with each bite, it 'feels' hollow. This 'hollowness' may be the reason why this fruit isn't as juicy as other apples.

When the skin is eaten alone, it doesn't bear much flavor. It may be slightly sweet from the fruit itself and my contain traces of bitterness; but other than that, it's not very flavorful and I don't advise eating the skin alone. It is sooo not yummy. (The taste may be affected by the wax, too.)

Surprisingly, the raw apple seed is very fragrant and sweet--completely different from the fruit itself. You can say it almost tastes like a sweet, fragrant flower. Unfortunately, the brown coating lingers around once the seed is gone and has a slight trace of bitterness.

How long did it take to discolour? The apple was cut in half at 2:01pm. A very, very slight discolouration was noted at 2:46pm. At 3:15pm, no noticeable changes can be seen. It appears that this apple can be exposed to air for longer than an hour without drastic discolouration.

What is it like? Anything remotely close? Well, it tastes like a hybrid fruit. Maybe because it is. Although, I think it is more closely related to Kidd's Orange Red than a Golden Delicious because it has a slightly different sweet taste similar to Kidd's. Although the texture may be closely related to a Golden Delicious. However, I may be wrong since I haven't had an Orange Red or Golden Delicious in a while.

Overall Taste: Sweet, semi-crispy (not the crispiest apple I've had) and slightly grainy (giving a hollow effect).

This fruit is from Stemilt Growers.

For more nutritional information and other fun facts, visit produceoasis. They bring the O in produce.