The only problem is the home grower can't store them as long and good and we're forced to buy those apples anyway...nothing wrong until something better comes along.

Don't forget, some apple varieties taste better in storage than freshly picked. Arkansas Black and Gold Rush come to mind.

Do you have any evidence that it's one yr? Some are held that long but not on average. I'd think it would be more like 4-6 months. To average 12 months some would have to be held 18-24 months. I don't think that's happening.

Up to a year yes...the same in Canada, storing them in CA is better then storing them in your fridge or cellar, ..might build a CA unit down the road, think there would be market for these.

You could make a fortune if you could make a small scale CA device for a small price. Perhaps a 10X12 airtight cooler with the mechanical components and controls to generate the nitrogen and filter the CO2 and constantly adjust the levels to the target.

This is silly hyperbole. Of course the apples were 9 months old when they sampled them in July. Try that in December. There are two options for fresh apples in July. Store them for 8-10 months, or ship them from the other side of the world where it is the equivalent of January. The 3rd alternative is, don't eat raw apples in July.

The 4th option is Summer Apples. They used to be very common in local orchards before CA storage from huge orchards (2-5K acres) eliminated the need. Perfect for the back yard grower looking for something fresh just picked from the tree.

I'm amazed that CA technology makes it possible to eat an apple in July that was picked on September/October. Unfortunately, this same technology is one big factor in the demise of the small local orchard.

Some of the people reading this may be wondering, why grow fruit
yourself?

Because it tastes SO MUCH BETTER when it comes right from
your tree. The fruit in the supermarket is not “fresh”. The truly fresh
qualities of fruit start to deteriorate fairly rapidly after being separated
from the tree, and most fruit (with some exceptions) is at its best within a
few days after reaching full ripeness. This would never be commercially
feasible with large scale distribution. And so, many people are missing out on
what fresh fruit truly tastes like.

There are several types of fruit in particular that really need to be grown yourself to be fully enjoyed: raspberries, blackberries, mandarins, apricots, to name a few. They're not going to taste nearly as good bought from the store.

I really enjoy most fresh apples right off the tree. A few like Goldrush or Albermarle Pippin really need to sit for a few months and mellow. These apples are not great off the tree but after 3 or 4 months of storage they are hard to beat.

We conducted a blind taste test using about six apple variety from a Virginia orchard which were removed from normal refrigeration in March. All apples were "orchard run" quality and had not been graded. Goldrush and Pippin finished 1 and 2. Granny and Pink Lady ranked toward the bottom of the list.