Why are the satsumas in my box green & splotchy?

Summer of 2019 in Texas was a scorcher – Austin’s second hottest on record. With that being said, the heat wave delayed the process of our satsumas developing its orange hue this year. Like oranges, satsumas initially grow as a green fruit then change as the weather cools. But when the weather doesn’t cool down until late in the season, the show cannot go on – or, the natural process of coloration can’t begin. 

Don’t let this stop you from reaching for satsumas! They are still sweet, sour, & succulent as ever. Not overly tart, either. We even opened up the greenest ones on hand and are happy to report that they are not only seedless, but incredibly juicy and very refreshing. 

Sometimes the biggest misfits in the world of produce are the most delicious, across the board. Our satsumas may not be your bagged, conventional “cuties” or meet the standards of a typical fruit bowl aesthetic, but they are farm-grown, and fresh as heck.

How ‘bout them apples?  

The state of our Honeycrisp apples this year were susceptible to Cooler Scald (extreme changes in temperature) affecting the color of their skin and leaving some of them with bruised and brown patches. Scald is a major disorder in apples caused by a “chilling injury” due to cold storage – and Honeycrisp apples are one of the varieties that are most vulnerable. Following the harvest, the rapid shift in temperature from the farm to the cooler impacts the health of the fruit! For that reason, farmers are calling them the “devils fruit”  because the price they get for these apples are the most expensive of any other variety, and the most high-demand. Also, when the crop load is heavy, the fruit doesn’t color well and there are significant differences from tree to tree. The root of the reason for this? Honeycrisp apples have thin skin and a large cell size making it difficult to harvest and store without bruising or puncturing. 

For that reason, we have shifted them out of the bushel and will continue to offer them as add-ons.  There are still some good fruit in there, and none of them are affected. The more you know!