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Kiku Apples for Delivery or Pickup
The Instacart guide to Kiku apples
About Kiku apples
The Kiku apple started as a red sport. A red sport is a natural mutation, which causes a particular branch of an apple tree to produce fruit that looks slightly different from the rest. In the 1990s, Louis Braun was abroad in Japan and found this red sport apple hanging from a Fuji tree. After falling in love with the beautiful red-striped pattern of this apple, Braun bought the rights to the apple and took it to his orchard in Italy.Â
Though most of these apples still come from Italy, they were introduced to the U.S. market in 2010. Now orchards in Washington, Michigan, and Pennsylvania grow this variety too. In the off-season, the U.S. receives imports from Chile and New Zealand, where the trees grow happily in warmer climates. It still ripens to a striking striped ruby red, and they are typically smaller than their Fuji cousins.
How to tell if Kiku apples are ripe
As with any apple, it's important to choose it when it is ripe and at its peak flavor, or you can order some via Instacart and have them delivered to your door in as little as 2 hours! To find a perfectly ripened apple, first check the skin, stem end, and flower end for bruising or broken skin. Any broken skin or bruising means your apples will spoil faster. The skin of the Kiku apple should be a brilliant red with a distinct striped pattern. The skin should be glossy, blemish-free, and firm. Apples should not give under the press of a finger. If they do, the inside will be mush and mealy.
How to preserve and store Kiku apples
The modern Kiku apple variety lends itself well to longer-term storage. While it's better to eat it while it's fresh for the most flavor, these apples do stay fresh if stored properly. You can preserve their freshness for up to three months in a lined crisper drawer. Although, because the Kiku apple emits ethylene gas like other varieties, you won't want to store it with other vegetables. The ethylene gas will cause neighboring produce to decay faster. It's best to store the apples in a plastic bag with holes, or if you'd rather, store them under dampened paper towels.
There are nearly as many ways to preserve apples as there are apple varieties. The Kiku apple is a bit too sweet for baking or preserves, according to most cooks. They may preserve better as a dehydrated apple ring, where their sweetness and crispness is more appreciated. If you don't have a dehydrator or you've bought too many apples for your cripser, take to the cellar storage method. Store the apples in a cool, dark place. Wrap them in newspaper for some extra protection and padding. By keeping them separated, it's easier to mitigate any potential spread of spoilage.
Kiku Apples Near Me
Buy your favorite Kiku Apples online with Instacart. Order Kiku Apples from local and national retailers near you and enjoy on-demand, contactless delivery or pickup within 2 hours.
FAQs about Kiku apples
According to reviews from testers, the Kiku apple bears similarity to the Honeycrisp and the Fuji. Kikus are sweet, but not too sweet, and just tart enough with hints of fruity grape-like aromatics. Its texture and juiciness compare with its cousin, the Fuji apple. However, where the Fuji has a slightly sour taste, the Kiku does not. This makes the sweetness of the Kiku more pronounced and is why many tasters compared it with a Honeycrisp.
The Kiku tastes the absolute best as a snacking apple. Its crisp and juicy interior, the snap of the skin, and the sweet flavor are a pleasure on their own. Try it with cheese slices or peanut butter to increase the protein of this snack apple. Sharp cheddar is a great cheese choice for this snack. The sharpness of the cheese with the sweetness of the apple is a delightful pairing.
To incorporate these beautiful apples into a meal, consider tossing them into an acidic fruit salad. The acidic juices will preserve the beautiful white flesh, and you can leave the striped skin on to showcase its ruby color. Similarly, thinly sliced into wedges or rounds, these apples would beautify a spring salad and complement spring greens with their bright, sweet flavor. They also make a gorgeous candied apple.
When you find these apples in the store, they may be more expensive than other apple varieties. This is because the Kiku brand apple has a very restricted list of distributors. The lower supply paired with the higher demand for the unique flavor of the Kiku variety drives the price up in some supermarkets. Remember that buying fruit within its growing season can help lower your spending on produce. If you're in the U.S., buying these apples as they come off the trees in the fall will be less expensive than buying them after we have imported them from Chile.