First of all I want to thank each and every one of you for your kind words, thoughts and prayers. I’m settled back in, this time in the States, but thoughts of Brazil aren’t far behind.
I’ve been bitten by the baking bug and plan to share some Brazilian treats with my family which I will also share with you. I’ve also got some travel lined up at the end of the year which will hopefully mean some good food discussions.
I am really excited to try some new things that I’ve heard so much about through food blogs. I went to a small health food store here in my hometown and I was able to pick up some quinoa today. I plan to head back and eventually try the black rice, among other things. On the flip side the HFCS is everywhere! I’ve been checking labels closely.
Okay, so now I have a question…
What in the heck is a Grapple??
The local grocery store here just went through a big remodeling and they have all kinds of new produce. Sorry the picture is blurry. It was taken with a camera phone.
According to the sign it is a grape crossed with an apple – an apple that tastes like a grape. Unfortunately my curiosity didn’t win over my thriftiness. At $6 for 4 apples I passed them up.
My first thought, however, was – what a great idea for a pie. My mom used to make grape pie all the time. Grapple pie might prove to be delicious.
Have you seen grapples or had one? I’d love to know what they are like. Maybe you’ll convince me to make the investment.
A grapple = Grape + Apple=] Anxious to hear how they are!!
I have never had a grapple….I want to try one though. $6? Are they kidding? Silly food store 🙂 Glad you’re home with your fam. Enjoy the time!
WELCOME BACK!!!!!!!
I’ve seen those grapples before, but I’m weary to try them…. they sound like a lab experiment, haha.
I thought they were apples with grape flavoring added, not a cross of the two fruits, so I haven’t dared try one yet. If I want an apple, I want an apple. If I want grapes, I want grapes. I just don’t quite get it!
Huh. That’s weird. I’ve never heard of grapples!
Yes, HFCS is EVERYWHERE. It’s depressing.
I have seen these and heard that they are good, but I have never had one!
I’ve actually been brave enough to try a grapple! (I can’t resist trying a new fruit – even something as bizarrely disturbing as a grape/apple cross.) Sadly, they’re not really a new fruit at all. They’re just a fuji or gala apple that has been infused with grape flavor after harvest. How boring is that? And they taste just like that – an ordinary apple that has grape flavoring. It WAS an interesting flavor, but I found that I prefer my apples as apples and grapes as grapes!
(You can read about how they make the Grapple here: http://www.grapplefruits.com/process.html)
Nice to have you back.
Indulge me, just a little, please. This reminds me of Willy Wonka’s lickable wallpaper–“the strawberries taste like strawberries…the snozberries taste like snozberries”–except the apples taste like grapes 🙂
hi there! my name is pearl and i came across your blog randomly 🙂 i love it! i hope to keep in touch with you through our blogs :).
oh, and as for the grapple, my curiosity peaked and i bought some last year or so. honestly, nothing special. it tasted just like an apple, but with a weird grape flavoring. and the grape flavoring wasn’t even a strong one – it was a slight grape flavor. it smells more like a grape than it tastes.
i’d prefer the crunchy, fresh fuji apple with apple flavor than something that feels like an apple but tastes like a bland grape. 🙂
Welcome back to blogging! I’ve never seen a, er, Grapple. Enjoy your quinoa! It’s not available in Brazil?
What a bummer. Apple with grape flavoring – weird. I was hoping it was some kind of cool fruit hybrid. Guess I’ll be skipping those.
Pearl and Kelli – Welcome and thanks for taking the time to comment.
Michelle – Oddly enough with quinoa being grown in S. America it is difficult to find where I am at in Brazil. A friend of mine said they carry it at a small Japanese market in town. I hadn’t made it there to find it, but plan to explore a little more when I return.
I’ve never tried one…I say go for it in the name of blog research! (I justify a lot of purchases this way, btw. lol.)
My father used to go to backwaters of large lakes, find hollow logs, stick his hand in to see if a very large catfish (up to hundred pounds would catch hold. He called it grappling. Now it is a weird fruit. I am not sure if he would find that funny or sad 🙂
jenn – Ha, ha! I’ve been doing that a lot myself lately. 🙂
dr. hubbard – What an interesting story! A new food and a fishing technique. Ha, ha! Maybe they should have called it an Appape. 🙂