Take a bite when the color looks close to what you want.

When they are soft they're a day over-ripe.

There's about a 15-minute window of opportunity when they're just right. Then they're yellow and mealy.

Lucky is being generous on the 15-minute window; Yellow Transparent is the same way. Old timers ate them with relish as they said it still beats eating a snowball.

Ein Shemer never does achieve that window and goes directly from green and starchy to yellow and mealy.

Grew up with a YT in the yard - loved 'em - but I was a little kid who had nothing much else to do but hit that 15-minute window as long as they lasted.
Lodi is inferior to its YT parent in every way except size, IMO.

This post was edited by lucky_p on Mon, Jul 14, 14 at 15:55

Lucky, I thinks that 's more nostalgia than palate, but it's your memory and your palate, so what do I know? To me they are both equally worthless unless you are in the mood for baking.