Well, this is marketing Will, but not as we know it. I forgot! So, to put things straight I have a post just about bletting:-)
In my dictionary, it says:
–noun
the ripening of fruit, esp. of fruit stored until the desired degree of softness is attained.
...which is pretty good for a dictionary! Bletting is exactly that. Pressing unripe apples is a big fat no no for making cider - the juice is acidic, sufficient starch has not changed to sugar, etc.
Bletted apples, however, are often soft (some insist that they are black before pressing, but I have yet to go that far!) Early apples generally don't blet very well. They don't keep and go mouldy (which is different from going soft!) However, the later cider apples can sit for anything from a week to a month before they are ready to press.
So there you go.
...which is pretty good for a dictionary! Bletting is exactly that. Pressing unripe apples is a big fat no no for making cider - the juice is acidic, sufficient starch has not changed to sugar, etc.
Bletted apples, however, are often soft (some insist that they are black before pressing, but I have yet to go that far!) Early apples generally don't blet very well. They don't keep and go mouldy (which is different from going soft!) However, the later cider apples can sit for anything from a week to a month before they are ready to press.
So there you go.
Have you ever eaten bletted apples?
ReplyDeleteI have certainly beltted persimmons.
I just let some pears get brown and mushy and they were goo-oood, not all grainy etc.
As a matter of fact, I have recently eaten a 'semi' bletted Lord Lambourne - sweet (which you would expect, as the whole purpose is getting as much starch to sugar). More often I will squash an apple to taste the juice to see how its getting on.
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