37 minutes ago, KennethT said:
@Margaret PilgrimSure, you can add a bit of sugar to them which will help bring out the perception of sweetness, but I don't think the flavor profile will be like it should be when completely vine ripened - it's not all about brix levels, it's also about ripening the phenolics and developing all the esters/aldehydes etc that contribute to the aroma and flavor. The same is true of ripening wine grapes. If you get a really hot/dry season, you can get full brix levels much earlier before the phenolics ripen, which will cause an unbalanced wine. If you let them hang longer to ripen the phenolics, you wind up with super high alcohol levels (because of the excess sugar), or you can harvest early but the tannins won't be round and ripe.
Sorry for the rant.
Not a rant at all. Just a scream of frustration that we all experience and understand. i grew up in coastal California with backyard tomatoes that I thought were ordinary until I grew up and away and realized that they were quintessential and possibly not to be experienced again: a totally vine ripened beefsteak tomato, still warm from the sun, off the plant 5 minutes. Same for strawberries. Same for clams from Monterey Bay. And the list goes on. But we do what we can with the #$%^ that we are able to access.
ETA totally forgot the Blenheim apricots 5 miles away that my father used to buy by the "lug box".
