Description
Fuji is a medium to large apple, with orange-red skin. It has some sweetness from its Red Delicious parent, but it is denser and more complex. Its flesh is firm, crisp and juicy. Author Frank Browning includes Fuji in his list of 20 Prize Apples in his book Apples. Fuji is an excellent fresh eating apple, and it is good dried. It’s also a great keeper, maintaining its quality for up to one year refrigerated or several weeks left in a fruit bowl. Fuji ripens in late October.
A newer, redder strain is known as Aztec Fuji.
Discovered: 1939, Japan
Parentage: Red Delicious x Ralls Janet
Harvest: Late Season
History
Fuji has its origins in Japan, where it was developed in 1930 and released in 1939. Some say it was named after Mount Fuji, Japan’s most sacred mountain, but it is more likely the apple was named after Fujisaki, the location of the research center where it was developed.
Fuji is grown in great quantities in China and Japan, but discerning fruit lovers can find fresh Fujis here in New England. Fuji is a cross between Ralls Janet, an heirloom variety from Virginia, and Eastern Red Delicious.
