Post by Admin on Jun 4, 2021 15:22:25 GMT -4
What are 'ghost apples'? Record low temperatures create freaky phenomenon
These clear apples aren’t an optical illusion — here’s the real deal behind the viral photos
Nature is certainly capable of creating some pretty amazing things, and one resident of Sparta, Michigan, just happened to be in the right place at the right time to see one of the winter's most beautiful formations.
Last week, Andrew Sietsema was pruning some apple trees after freezing rain had hit the area and while he was working, he snapped a few pictures of what he has since dubbed “ghost apples” — hollowed-out ice casings of apples that were never harvested.
So, how exactly does something like this form?
Susan Brown, Herman M. Cohn Professor of Agriculture and Life Science at Cornell University, explained to TODAY Food that the flesh of some apples, especially those that remain on trees late after the harvest season, will decay into almost an applesauce-like consistency. “The skin keeps it in like a filled water balloon,” she said.
Due to a combination of freezing rain and prolonged subzero temperatures, ice initially encased the whole fruit, but then the rotted apple mush seeped out from the bottom of the icy sphere, leaving the detailed, hollowed-out impression of an apple.
“I like the term that was coined ‘ghost apple,’” Brown said. “What I love about this story and the excitement it generated is that it showcases all the hard work our apple growers do in all weather conditions. The fact that Andrew Sietsema was out in freezing conditions, tending to his trees, allowed him to capture this beautiful occurrence.”
AMAZING 🍎
