Quite Possibly the Sweetest Apple Ever: Kiku

(photo courtesy of Pixabay.com)

On a recent shopping trip, I picked up a bag of apples that I'd never tried before. The Kiku was advertised as the sweetest apple ever. And it is. I thought Honeycrisps were sweet but they pale in comparison to the Kiku.

Originally grown in Japan, Italian apple grower Luis Braun discovered the Kiku in 1990 when he noticed a sport or mutation of a Fuji. He bought the rights to the apple and took cuttings home to propagate. The red-striped apple is licensed by the Braun family and only select growers produce its fruit. It was introduced to the U.S. in 2010. The name Kiku is Japanese for chrysanthemum.

The Kiku has firm flesh and are excellent for snacking or cooking. They are available almost year round, from mid-fall to late summer.