Koru Apples!

With all this talk about cherries this month, we thought we would throw in an Apple Tree Story. Introducing the Koru Apple!

The Koru apple is on the large side, with an attractive orange-red color over a yellow background. The shape is squat with some ribbing and russeting around the stem. Koru is sweet, juicy, and crunchy, like many of the newest apple varieties. The taste is complexly sweet, with subtle tartness and notes of honey, orange juice, spice, and vanilla. It has also been described as cidery, due to its juiciness.

Seasons/Availability Koru apples are available in late spring through summer.

Current Facts Koru apples are a modern New Zealand variety of Malus domestica. They are an accidental cross between Fuji and Braeburn, with characteristics of each. Koru is a brand name for the apple cultivar Plumac.

Nutritional Value Apples have few calories but many important nutrients. A medium-sized apple contains less than a hundred calories, yet almost 20% of the daily recommended value of fiber, and almost 15% of the daily recommended value of Vitamin C. Apples also contain antioxidants and phytochemicals, important in preventing cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

Ethnic/Cultural Info The Koru apple has gone through quite a few names since it was discovered. It was first referred to as the Kotabaru apple, in the Maori language of New Zealand. The variety was then called Plumac, but marketed under the name Koru. That name is also Maori, referring to an unfurling fern frond. Koru symbolizes new life and growth. The colors chosen for Koru branding also echo Maori culture, using red, black, and white.

Geography/History Geoff Plunkett discovered Koru as a chance seedling in 1998 near Nelson, New Zealand. Plunkett and his family believed the seedling grew from an apple his wife’s mother threw into the garden. They began to be commercially available in 2013. Today, about 85% of the Koru apples in the US are imported from New Zealand. However, they also grow in the Northwest and Northeast of the United States. The number of Koru apples available to market has steadily grown over the past few years, as more people have discovered them. Some growers think it has the potential to have a larger presence on grocery shelves, much like the modern variety Honeycrisp.

Also in this week's delivery:

- Green grapes, - Rainier cherries, - Lapin dark red cherries, - Koru apples, - Rainforest Alliance certified bananas - A stock of gladiolus to help celebrate our beautiful July here in Puget Sound.