All apples are harvested
within a two-week window here in Australia.
Now, if they're picked within two weeks
are they good for the entire year?
Hey guys, I'm Thanh the Fruit Nerd
and I'm here talking about apples.
So how do we pick a great apple?
Well, growers have already picked an apple
at its optimal moment of harvest,
which means that the apple can store for the longest period.
And it's at an acceptable level
of sweetness and crunch for you to eat.
So you really don't need to do anything.
Now, apples are available all year round
but actually all apples are harvested
within a two-week window here in Australia
over March and April.
So if you're after the greatest crunch
March and April are the best times of the year
to eat a freshly picked, new season apple.
So how do you store an apple?
Well, storing them in the fridge is the best option
because the colder the apple is the longer it will keep.
Now, I like to put my apple in the crisper,
just try not to put too many other fruits that will ripen quickly
in the crisper as well because the apple
is going to release the ethylene and affect them.
But if you don't have many other fruits in your fridge
just leave them anywhere in the fridge
and it's the best way to store an apple.
So here's how you pick a tree-ripened Fuji apple.
So as the apple flowers and grows on the tree
it starts off blooming like this.
And as it grows, it grows vertically
and then horizontally and as the apple grows really mature
it develops some really complex flavours.
But how do you know which one is tree ripened
and how do you know which one is picked a little bit earlier?
Well, the base of the Fuji apple actually flattens as it grows
more mature because it expands sideways.
So you can see here with these two apples
this one is a little bit more longer
and elongated and taller.
And this one is a little bit more plump and sideways.
But if you look at the bottoms
these ones have a little bit more of a ridge,
a little bit more hilly, and these ones are flat.
So, you know this one is going to be tree ripened.
It's going to have a bit more complex flavour,
is going to be a little bit more sugary and sweet
than this apple here.
So that's how you pick a perfectly tree-ripened Fuji apple.
This Fruit Nerd tip was told to me by a Fuji apple grower.
And it is only relevant for the Fuji apple.
It's not relevant to other apples like
the Royal Gala or the Granny Smith.
So use it wisely.
So how are apple stored for almost an entire year?
Well, they're placed in a room like this one right here
and the doors are closed and the atmosphere's changed
so that there's less oxygen in the air.
There's usually a carbon capture
because apples are releasing carbon and gas,
and there's another type of element that's put
in the air like nitrogen to keep it stored for much longer.
And that's how you can eat apples all year round.
In Australia, we love to have apples that are
crunchy that have a bite to them.
But in some parts of Asia, like, say, Japan or China,
apples are actually preferred to have a soft skin
because they prefer a really light crunch
and a very juicy, sweet texture.
So it's fascinating how different cultures
prefer different types of textures in fruit.
At first glance, these two Japanese variety
apples look very different
but actually they're the same apple
growing in the exact same orchard,
but with two different methods.
Now this Fuji apple
has been able to see the sun for about two months.
And that photosynthesis has changed the colour
of the apple red, and that has changed the flavour of the skin.
Whilst this apple...
the same apple grown in the same orchard
has had a brown paper bag enclosed in it.
And these apples aren't waxed.
So this skin is super thin.
There's no photosynthesis 'cause it's been blocked from the sunlight.
So it's still albino in colour, it's white.
And if you could smell it,
it is so floral and it's got a different texture and flavour
and it's all because of a different technique.
So now you know more about apples,
I hope you appreciate how apples get
from the orchard to your home.