Alex Carson
Strange and Incredible Sights
The world is full of strange and incredible sights, and very few people are lucky enough to witness them. To actually see a comet, you have to be in the right place, at the right time. Very few people will ever see a four-leaf clover. If you want to see something incredible, you just might be able to. A mysterious fruit found 10,000 ft above sea level is making farmers stir crazy.
Apples
Everyone has heard the saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” There are over 7,500 known kind of apples. Many of them can be found in your local grocery stores. The reason that apples are so popular is that they can grow all over the world in various climates. People eat apples on their own; they put them in pies, cobblers, and a variety of desserts. Many people don’t know the difference between all of the apples in existence, but there is one that stands out above the rest. Of all the apples in existence, there is one that is tastier than the rest. The only problem is that they are challenging to get to.
The Black Diamond Apple
The apple is called the Black Diamond apple, and it grows high in the mountains of Tibet. This type of apple is cultivated at altitudes of 10,000-feet, and there is nothing like them on Earth. This incredibly rare fruit looks similar to a typical apple; however, the color of the skin is what makes it stand out above the rest. The skin of the Black Diamond apple is purple. It got it named because, in the right light, the skin looks black.
Chinese Red Delicious
The Black Diamond apple is actually a member of the Hua Nia family and is a relative of the Chinese Red Delicious apple. The Hua Nias are very common and can be found all around Asia and the United States. The Hua Nia may be the Black Diamond’s brother apple, but the two are very different.
The Difference
The main difference between the Black Diamond apple and its brother is the color. It gets it black color as a result of the prolonged and intense UV rays exposure that it gets from sitting on top of the mountains. The Black Diamond apple is also much crisper than the Hua Nia. The crispiness is a mutation that the apple had to develop to survive the harsh mountain climate. When the temperatures on the mountains of Tibet drop at night, it is very difficult for plant life to survive. To adapt to the harsh environment, the Black Diamond has grown thicker, more protective skin. Fortunately, the extreme cold doesn’t have an effect on the taste.
Sweetness
The Black Diamond apple is much sweeter than the Nua Nia, which is preferred by many Asian apple eaters. This apple has a very unique taste, which is the reason why it is considered a delicacy. No other apple is in this category.
Getting An Apple
If you want to get a Black Diamond apple of your own, it isn’t going to be easy. Climbing the Tibet mountains can be more complicated than climbing Mount Everest, so going up to pick your own apples isn’t an option. They are only found in Asia, and the farmers who cultivate them need to navigate the treacherous mountain ranges. Many of the growers keep 70 percent of their harvest for themselves because they are so challenging to get to.
Maturing Process
Another significant difference between the Black Diamond apple and just about every apple in the world is its maturing process. The growing season can last years at a time. It can take up to 8-years before the apple can be picked. This is the reason that these apples are so expensive.
The Cost
You can go to the supermarket and buy an entire bag of apples for about $6. This isn’t the case with the Black Diamond apple. If the apples grow to be full size and they make it to the market, you will only find them in high-end markets such as the market in Beijing. If you are going to buy a half dozen of these apples, you should expect to pay as much as $50.
Asia’s Elite
Because these apples are so expensive, they are often only eaten by Asia’s elite. Unfortunately, with such a low demand for these apples due to the cost, and how hard they are to cultivate, many growers are abandoning their crops. This had put the apple at risk of becoming extinct. Many people aren’t worried about the extinction of the Black Diamond apple because they are so delicious, and serious growers will never give up on this fantastic fruit.
