Apples in Japan

Anyone that's been in Japan for more than a few days and visits a grocery store will realize there is something different about the fruit. They are larger, more colorful, more tasty, and just plain better. In many cases they are pretty expensive too!

Some "special" apples at Sanwa market. These are called Akibae apples. Akibae 秋映え means "Autumn reflection" and are a cross between Senshu (cross between Toko and Fuji) and Tsugaru

I've learned quite a bit recently about Japanese apples. I've included a sorbet recipe below and it's just like the other sorbets I've done in the past and is very simple. I wasn't too sure about making an apple sorbet, but the chef at Maido Kushiyaki and Wine did it so why not.


As with a lot of the new foods I highlight in the blog, I try to understand a bit more about them by doing a little research. In doing so, I gained a lot of respect for the Japanese apple.

There are a number of techniques that are used to produce the large size, perfectly unblemished apples you see in the stores. Some of these techniques have the added benefit of reducing the amount of pesticides that are used. Many farms in Japan also go through the laborious process of thinning out the leaves and branches of the apple tree. They do this is to increase the amount of sunlight that can reach deeper into the tree, and also reach more fruit. If you increase the amount of sunlight reaching the inner leaves of the tree, then the overall carbohydrate production increases and the fruits will be bigger.

San Jona Gold - from Aomori Prefecture

There is also a science to pruning the branches of the tree. Branches that grow more vertical (say 30 degrees off the vertical) will produce fewer and smaller fruit. So the branches that are too close to vertical will be trimmed, and the ones that are about 45 degrees will be "trained" (by using sticks, or bands, etc) to pull or push them into the optimum 60 degrees off vertical (30 degree angle to the ground).  They have found that a Christmas tree shape is the optimum shape for sunlight penetration and enough tree to still produce apples! There is a balance that must be found since you could have 100% sunlight penetration if you remove all the leaves, but that would equal zero apples.This link here shows and discusses apple tree pruning.  And this link shows many of the laborious steps involved.

We picked up some yellow apples too and they were awesome. Crispy, juicy, and sweet. Interesting thing though is that the Japanese for the most part think that apples should be red. So yellow apples only account for 10% of the market in Japan. The same goes for exports to other Asian countries. But the Japanese are finding a market for yellow apples in Europe.  The Japanese are looking for new varieties to cultivate, as many believe that the public getting tired of the Fuji brand, despite it still being the most popular.

Another San Jona Gold sign. At the top it says it's a cross between the Golden Delicious and the Crimson Jonathan.

A major aspect that adds a lot of labor comes from bagging the individual fruit. About 35 days after flowering, the fruit is thinned and then each apple (tiny at this point) is bagged in a two layer bag. The inner being waxed paper and then an outer paper that does not let the sunlight through. The bags of course keep pests out, and reduce to a large extent the amount of pesticide that needs to be used. They also contribute to the fruit having a thinner, crisp skin, and timing the maturity of the apple. About four weeks before harvest, the outer bag is removed. Keeping the inner bag on will help reduce sun damage. Then a week or two later the outer bag is removed. Exposure to the sunlight is critical to the fruit getting its proper color.  The Japanese have been doing this for about 70 years I think, and have developed special bags for this. You can see the process of bagging in this link here. And here is a University of Kentucky presentation on bagging.

To achieve full color many farmers will put a reflective foil on the ground so the bottom of the apples see the sun as well. The other important and very labor intensive task many farmers do is rotate every single apple by hand 90 or 180 degrees. If it is 90 degrees then they are doing this more than once. The apples want to return to where they started so they try to use adjacent branches or even a little tape to prevent it from rotating back to its original position. Now imagine doing this to every apple in your orchard. The rotation gets the other side exposed to the sun and will turn the apple red. Next time you look at an apple in the store with shades of green and red you'll now understand why. The farmers will also do some strategic leave pruning so get the apples the extra sun they need.

This is why I no longer think that paying a buck an apple (or more) is a big deal. I understand and appreciate the great amount of labor these farmers put into their harvest!  Most apples are stored for many months which is why the apples at the commissary tend to have that starchy, bland taste.  For the same price, you can go out in town and get a better, fresher, apple.  The Japanese do store apples too, and some apples store much better than others, so you just have to experiment once you're out of the apple growing season.

More San Jona Gold

Another interesting thing I learned is that some Japanese farms have an "owner tree" concept. A family will "buy" the tree for the season and then when it's ready to harvest will come out and harvest it with their family.  This article is a good read about Japanese apple production and the owner tree system.



Bonus Apple Sorbet recipe


4 to 5 apples of your choice - skinned, cut up and deseeded
3/8 cup sugar
One cup water and one half cup cold water
Gelatin
Cointreau - optional
Yuzu juice - optional

Cut the apples up and load them into your food processor and blend until smooth.

In a small pan,dissolve the sugar in the water over heat and bring to a boil. Add the gelatin (follow the directions, but I use one 5g packet (from the Japanese market). Once boiling, remove from the heat. Add the cold water to
cool it down.

Add the sugar/water/gelatin mix to the apples. Mix. Add a tablespoon of Cointreau and/or a quarter cup of Yuzu juice if desired. I really like the Yuzu juice.

Put in to a container and freeze. Process it again in the food processor to aerate the sorbet. Look at some of my previous sorbet recipes to understand this step.

Ingredients less sugar and water

 I skipped some of the other pictures (food processor and boiling water) but look at my other posts on sorbets and you'll see them.

Finished product