Apples in August: Fuji

This crisp little genetically engineered apple has a reddish pink wash over a yellow-green backdrop.

According to Specialty Produce, "Fuji apples were first developed in the 1930s at the Tohoku Research Station in Morioka, Japan. They quickly became one of the most commonly grown apple varieties in Japan and in the 1960s were made commercially available in the United States. Today, the bulk of Fuji apples are grown in Japan, China, and apple growing regions in the United States such as California and Washington State."

"Fuji apples unite two apple traditions—old American varieties discovered on farms and homesteads, and the modern way of breeding new apples at research stations. In fact, Virginia Ralls Janet apples, one of the Fuji’s parents, was first grown at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. Fuji made the circuitous route from the early United States, to Japan, back to America, where it is a popular apple today. "

Julie Green
August 26, 2017