5 ms·

I remember this being a good apple in the past. Is it possible that modern practices of breeding and packing for shipping fitness have caused a decline in the q

• asaph 8y ago
  Your memory deceives you. They look good but they've always been inferior in taste and texture. Source: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/09/the-evil-reign-of-the-red-delicious/379892/ https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/09/the-evil-...
  • loco5niner 8y ago
    His memory is correct. My grandma has lived in Yakima, WA (major apple producer) for 80+ years and tells me all the time that the red delicious used to be a good apple, but was changed with the goal of being prettier, but lost flavor/texture. Even the article you linked agrees: "But as genes for beauty were favored over those for taste, the skins grew tough and bitter around mushy, sugar-soaked flesh. "
    • asaph 8y ago
      Thanks for pointing that out. It's not clear from the article when precisely this change happened. It would have been somewhere between 1923 when the crimson "freak bud" appeared and prior to the 1980's. So red delicious apples have tasted bad for somewhere between 38 and 95 years.
      • loco5niner 8y ago
        My grandma is 82, so somewhere between 38 and 82 years. Scientifically speaking ;-)