Adam's Apples: Your Comments

Oops.. Btw, I just updated my profile pic. Don'...

2026-04-14T04:16:48.422-04:00

Oops.. Btw, I just updated my profile pic. Don't get confused. 😊

Thank you for the clarification, Adam. Btw, the fa...

2026-04-14T04:15:42.575-04:00

Thank you for the clarification, Adam.
Btw, the farmers' market has a fantastic website! 👏
The market itself involves so many social functions! 👍
I plan to introduce this model to our local community as an example at the earliest chance —we have strong farmers' market base and culture over here, too, but lacking this kind of recognition and representation.
Nice to meet you. 🙏
Best wishes

Thank you, Mehmet. This can happen when a web url ...

2026-04-14T00:21:04.272-04:00

Thank you, Mehmet. This can happen when a web url is allowed to lapse and is bought by someone hoping to capitalize on the reputation of the original web page that used to be there to drive traffic to the new site.

It turns all links to the old web address into links to an unrelated website, sometimes a malware site.

In this case, my oldest post, the market still exists, but has a new web address, which I have linked to.

Thank you again, sir.

Hi Adam 👋 I came across your name and blog on a B...

2026-04-13T01:14:29.162-04:00

Hi Adam 👋
I came across your name and blog on a Blogger help page.
The "Arlington Farmers' Market" link above, although anchored to "http://www.farmersmarketarlington.org/", ends up at "https://vslots88games.com/".
Do you know why?
Thanks!

Mine are not even all that rubbery this spring, fo...

2026-04-09T13:32:46.739-04:00

Mine are not even all that rubbery this spring, for some reason.

Shear sybaritic hedonism.

2026-04-08T10:15:53.910-04:00

Shear sybaritic hedonism.

what caused your obsession with all the different ...

2026-04-08T09:09:28.095-04:00

what caused your obsession with all the different types of apples?

I also look forward to Yellow T, although they (1)...

2026-04-05T14:20:41.942-04:00

I also look forward to Yellow T, although they (1) are very out of fashion, and (2) are ripe for about 45 minutes, which (3) is around August first up this way.

Western WI: Unfortunately my goldrush were horrib...

2026-04-05T12:24:52.313-04:00

Western WI: Unfortunately my goldrush were horrible this year as well as being lousy keepers. In the Midwest (and West) most goldrush were gone fairly early in the season. So I don’t know if it was the orchard (the one close by was sold and still hasn’t reopened) or if the apples (although organic) were sprayed with something close to harvest, or if it was just the weather. The taste put me off apples and I am having trouble getting myself to eat any at all right now. Hopefully once the yellow transparents (aka early junes) appear, I’ll be ready.

To Karim's father. He the orchardist, I but th...

2026-04-05T10:59:29.446-04:00

To Karim's father. He the orchardist, I but the lowly writer.

I am still using a crate of GR stored in the open ...

2026-04-05T08:53:12.908-04:00

I am still using a crate of GR stored in the open in a shed. I've lost quite a few and the remaining are shrivelling a lot now. It does not store as well just in the open like that, but it does pretty well and remains edible texture wise. Rubbery is awesome. I've seen GR and other apples like Roxbury, and Golden Russet if I recall correctly, go wrinkly and almost malleable under the skin, yet still have that rubbery texture. I've done some crossing of those to gold rush in hopes of getting more disease resistant, long storing russets. Rubbery texture is. not a trait I've seen a lot. I think it is worth pursuing in breeding.

I should like to, very much. I'm not in New Yo...

2026-04-04T21:32:59.042-04:00

I should like to, very much. I'm not in New York often, though.

If you love Macoun and Cortland (as I do — my top ...

2026-04-01T00:09:57.019-04:00

If you love Macoun and Cortland (as I do — my top two), please let me suggest you try NY-652 again next season! I’m so grateful Samascott is keeping it going!

Hello, Starlight, it is nice to have greetings fro...

2026-03-21T14:49:01.098-04:00

Hello, Starlight, it is nice to have greetings from Sweden!

To read this blog, you can book mark it in your browser, follow it in a feed reader (or in the Blogger reading list), or subscribe by email. These are standard for many blogs, nothing special about them.

For more information about these options, please see my Connect page, accessible from the links in the "tabs" at the top of the blog.

Hi, from Sweden. I like ur blogg and would like to...

2026-03-21T14:21:13.186-04:00

Hi, from Sweden. I like ur blogg and would like to learn more. But I don´t know how, becaus wherever I read I can´t find it on my blogg. Can u help me?
Would like to have like u: blogg, apple, find,...

Lovely tribute to your father and what you'v...

2026-03-20T17:31:06.075-04:00

Lovely tribute to your father and what you've achieved with your parent's apple orchard heritage Karim. Dorothy Walker,Regents Park London

Don't believe everything you read! I do like t...

2026-03-18T13:22:53.978-04:00

Don't believe everything you read! I do like them (and others) though.

And nevertheless, they say Macoun is your favorite...

2026-03-18T13:06:40.674-04:00

And nevertheless, they say Macoun is your favorite one, isn't it? :-)

I've never really tracked that, or other chara...

2026-03-17T10:56:24.293-04:00

I've never really tracked that, or other characteristics (best crunch? Sweetest?) that together comprise my overall impression of an apple. Cox's, Reine des Reinettes, Wickson, Chestnut Crab, all intensely flavorful. Gala can be quite floral, though I do no care for it so much personally.

Kind of ridiculous that I can't answer you, but will instantly name the "mosts" in categories less central to taste. Goldrush is certainly the best keeper, and Arkansas Black the most like a block of wood.

@Sparcher, recently I reported on the WSU lab that...

2026-03-17T10:47:36.357-04:00

@Sparcher, recently I reported on the WSU lab that was charging $120 per test. The lab requires a sample of the leaf, not the fruit.

I wonder how much would it cost to perform such a ...

2026-03-17T02:19:25.198-04:00

I wonder how much would it cost to perform such a test...

Gala on steroids :-D

2026-03-16T04:56:56.163-04:00

Gala on steroids :-D

BTW, what's the most aromatic/flavorful/perfum...

2026-03-16T04:54:46.828-04:00

BTW, what's the most aromatic/flavorful/perfumed kind of apple you've ever tasted?
(Is it Cox's O.P. or smth. else?)

Oh, I don't. These are supermarket apples this...

2026-03-15T18:42:05.051-04:00

Oh, I don't. These are supermarket apples this time of year, kept in industrial chillers and probably with controlled atmosphere.

I can keep some varieties through the winter but Corts would deteriorate in my refrigerator.

How do you store your Cortlands to last this long?...

2026-03-15T16:42:50.181-04:00

How do you store your Cortlands to last this long? I always eat them right away in October.

Yeah ☺️

2026-03-14T16:44:00.403-04:00

Yeah ☺️

I have received & planted a Crimson Gold from ...

2026-03-13T18:55:45.001-04:00

I have received & planted a Crimson Gold from Trees of Antiquity, and am pleased to have been able to order it! On a side note, the Amberoso is the 1st to show leaf so happy there. Like this site Adam, glad to have found it, Gary

¡Si!

2026-03-12T12:07:43.315-04:00

¡Si!

Manzanas crujiente

2026-03-12T05:58:50.889-04:00

Manzanas crujiente

Gosh, has it really been 18 years? Time flies....

2026-03-11T12:23:14.435-04:00

Gosh, has it really been 18 years? Time flies....

I stumbled across your blog while searching for in...

2026-03-11T12:19:35.333-04:00

I stumbled across your blog while searching for info on Hawkeye's. My mind is a little blown by 18 years worth of info on apples. Just apples! I never knew there was so much to them. I may have found a new special interest. Your devotion is inspiring. Cheers! :)

Had one of those about 5 years ago and had a tingl...

2026-03-07T16:33:55.121-05:00

Had one of those about 5 years ago and had a tingling sensation in my pants after the first bite. To this day I still haven’t been able to find any more or that same feeling in my pants. Way better than Galas, Fuji, Red (abominations) Delicious and the other usual bland polished turds they try to pawn off on us as good apples. We want FLAVOR!!!

said: “From an old New England orchard family. Fam...

2026-03-07T13:52:39.746-05:00

said: “From an old New England orchard family. Family sayings were “It takes a Spy to make a pie!” And “Apple pie without cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze!””

Another piece of the story. Thank you, Kevin.

2026-03-05T23:46:48.546-05:00

Another piece of the story. Thank you, Kevin.

Aside from being crunchy and juicy, I found WildTw...

2026-03-05T20:24:40.842-05:00

Aside from being crunchy and juicy, I found WildTwist to be completely void of any apple flavor. Zero stars, like nearly all of the trademarked varieties, for me.

I purchased the old Morrison 1850 farm house on Na...

2026-03-01T21:37:30.028-05:00

I purchased the old Morrison 1850 farm house on Nagog Hill Road, which was surrounded by Nagog Hill Farm lands.
I got to know and respect the professional Jamaican apple pickers quite well during the decade I lived there. Fruit bearing trees need to be pruned every year to bring in the best crop, but also to protect the next years crop. They grew 9 kind of apples, peaches, nectarines, and pears.
A late freeze could ruin a harvest, as could insects or disease.
It’s a tough business to make a living, but I believe there are ways to make this 100 acres, 10,000 tree farm work.

I also picked up on spice! Immediately bit into it...

2026-02-26T15:33:42.664-05:00

I also picked up on spice! Immediately bit into it and said, "why does this taste like cinnamon?"

In my limited experience R de R can be much more a...

2026-02-16T18:33:35.450-05:00

In my limited experience R de R can be much more acid than Cox's ever is.

But the two can also be similar, depending on the samples.

P.S. BTW, the fruitID project has some blushed yel...

2026-02-16T11:55:58.597-05:00

P.S. BTW, the fruitID project has some blushed yellow-colored small Granny Smith apples photographed.

One more (subjective) acidity level comparison: wh...

2026-02-14T01:38:19.914-05:00

One more (subjective) acidity level comparison: what's your opinion on...
King of the Pippins vs. Cox's Orange Pippin?

+1 vote for mislabeling: it happens... P.S. For s...

2026-02-14T01:20:51.315-05:00

+1 vote for mislabeling: it happens...

P.S.
For suspicious apples, I would strongly suggest taking some photos of the seeds:
it helps a lot in identifying the actual cultivar.

Hmm... that branch could be a good candidate to de...

2026-02-12T10:19:43.882-05:00

Hmm... that branch could be a good candidate to develop a red sport of Gr. Smith :-)

That was fun! (though regrettably hard to read on ...

2026-02-07T01:05:46.028-05:00

That was fun! (though regrettably hard to read on a small screen).

But like my epic record of every apple I ate in 2014, I think it may go down as a one-off. We'll see!

I had to search online to learn about all of those...

2026-02-06T12:49:09.739-05:00

I had to search online to learn about all of those apple varieties! (which appear to be Dutch). Sadly most modern varieties are heavy on the sugar, light on many other qualities.

i got a tried apple variety recently, maribelle, a...

2026-02-06T05:50:17.255-05:00

i got a tried apple variety recently, maribelle, and after a streak of cloyingly sweet apples (Sprank, Rubis Gold, Venice) this delicate flavor profile is a lovely change of pace!

From an old New England orchard family. Family say...

2026-02-05T14:53:28.884-05:00

From an old New England orchard family. Family sayings were “It takes a Spy to make a pie!” And “Apple pie without cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze!”

Rubinette maybe?

2026-02-05T01:24:30.539-05:00

Rubinette maybe?

Thanks for sharing your experience! which explains...

2026-02-04T15:58:18.129-05:00

Thanks for sharing your experience! which explains why this apple has been grown commercially for more than a century. I can only describe what I get, but I hope to get a better sample next year.

Five Bramleys for three pounds!

2026-02-04T14:55:36.189-05:00

Five Bramleys for three pounds!

I am utterly confused by that price label. And, gi...

2026-02-04T14:53:15.801-05:00

I am utterly confused by that price label. And, given that it was in Scotland, I am afraid I might not understand the explanation were I to make an inquiry of the sellers.

There’s a tree in a friend’s garden that I’m fairl...

2026-02-04T08:59:37.639-05:00

There’s a tree in a friend’s garden that I’m fairly sure is a Worcester Pearmain. For a few years I picked the apples as they started to turn red, and they were pretty much as you describe: spongy, thin, slightly acidic. I wondered why anyone would plant such a variety. Last year I didn’t bother to pick any. They turned redder as they hung on the tree and then I tried one. They were delicious. Perfumed, with a hint of strawberry, sweet and light. I’m sure yours was picked a bit early as you say. Hopefully you’ll have a better one some time.

Science is really upending many long-held beliefs ...

2026-02-03T16:39:49.360-05:00

Science is really upending many long-held beliefs about apple lineages. The Cherry Crab version is reported by many sources, some citing an historical account.

Recent dna analysis shows that Wealthy’s parentage...

2026-02-03T13:58:40.420-05:00

Recent dna analysis shows that Wealthy’s parentage is Jonathan X Duchess, which seems spot on to me taste-wise.

> There are several "Nonpareils." So...

2026-01-31T08:22:08.263-05:00

> There are several "Nonpareils."

So it could be a (newly discovered) grandparent of Cox's O.P.

P.S. Just noticed you've previously reviewed s...

2026-01-31T08:16:32.818-05:00

P.S.
Just noticed you've previously reviewed some Nonpareil too.

@Sparcher, not so much "out of scope" as...

2026-01-30T12:34:00.589-05:00

@Sparcher, not so much "out of scope" as "above my pay grade."

I occasionally repeat reports about topics outside of my direct experience (eg, that Honeycrisp is challenging to grow), and all kinds of insights are very welcome in these comments.

Surely, this blog is mostly about the taste, look ...

2026-01-30T09:25:02.294-05:00

Surely, this blog is mostly about the taste, look & feel of various apples.
Cultivation details and biochemistry are out of scope (I like some genealogy notes though).
(BTW, my previous comment contained a little bit of irony regarding the sad fact of "taste shift" turning classic dessert apples into "baking" ones).

Northern Spy is my absolute favorite and I would n...

2026-01-29T14:05:07.138-05:00

Northern Spy is my absolute favorite and I would not go a season without them, if they are available.

"It tastes like the last golden afternoons of...

2026-01-28T13:35:55.264-05:00

"It tastes like the last golden afternoons of September and October" is a perfect description.

I am so glad Elstar got a star! it’s my absolute f...

2026-01-28T12:52:27.835-05:00

I am so glad Elstar got a star! it’s my absolute favorite apple (only recently being challenged by Nicoter, but still holding on to that top spot). I grew up in southern germany and we’d buy a big box of them from Bodenseeäpfel (Apples from lake constance) in the mid fall and keep them in the cold garage until we ran out. So i’ll say that i am biased, but like — Damn. At its peak, Elstar is just shy of subacid, crunchy, with snappy skin, and beautiful floral flavors. It tastes like the last golden afternoons of september and october. In my mind, it’s perfect.

This is wonderful

2026-01-28T12:46:12.040-05:00

This is wonderful

I think you are right about how the license requir...

2026-01-24T14:17:09.973-05:00

I think you are right about how the license requirements thwarted UMinn's goals for this apple: to be the next Honeycrisp. (Recall that the consortium to grow and market SweeTango was called "The Next Big Thing"!)

Pride goeth before the fall, and only the very freshest SweeTango, apparently, had the unusual "powdery" mouthfeel that John Seabrook praises in his New Yorker story. This is singular, but not available in many parts of the country—again, due to the original license restrictions.

When my family and I were visiting Western NY in F...

2026-01-24T09:35:16.893-05:00

When my family and I were visiting Western NY in February 2024, we loved picking these up in grocery stores - they were definitely one of the best varieties in the stores at that point in the winter in terms of flavor. Given that experience, I went out of my way when in Minneapolis in mid-December 2024 to find an orchard on the periphery of the city that still had these for sale and stocked up. Alas, those were mediocre apples. That experience made me wonder whether this apple requires CA storage to maintain optimum flavor months after harvest. The orchard was obviously just using common refrigerated storage, and I am sure that the big apple distributors in western NY have sophisticated CA storage.

A word about the controversy about how the U of M commercialized this apple: I think the net result of the licensing arrangement was that these apples became unattainable in large areas of the country after they failed to become the new Gala or Fuji. The university appears to have learned. Their last two apples (Triumph, Kudos) were open releases and their newest releases are being made available through a structure similar to the Midwest Apple Association, in this case 'Superior Fruit Innovations ', a club anyone can join if you are willing to pay the fees.

I think they might have hired the same marketing folks as the ones who named an apple 'Sweet Cheeks' ? Not sure of the wisdom of naming an apple 'Big Flirt' when it is being targeted at direct market producers. Many of us have our high school age daughters helping (or managing) farmers market sales. Not sure I will be growing that one or if I do maybe we will call it by its numbered variety name.

Well, you may have a new apple to try in a few yea...

2026-01-24T00:48:43.319-05:00

Well, you may have a new apple to try in a few years--or somehow manage to get a taste sooner: https://www.seattletimes.com/business/agriculture/wsus-new-sunflare-apple-variety-gets-its-first-taste/

One of the best if not the best apples I have ever...

2026-01-23T13:42:25.206-05:00

One of the best if not the best apples I have ever grown. Ordered from Jung and took 5 years to bear but worth the wait! It died to disease and Jung’s Bonnie Best come looking like a twig with no branches at all and 2 have died on me without developing branches. A beautiful apple!

Saudade quando blog era lido por jovens.

2026-01-19T16:59:44.019-05:00

Saudade quando blog era lido por jovens.

Most pasteurized cider in MA is bottled at a singl...

2026-01-07T16:54:39.146-05:00

Most pasteurized cider in MA is bottled at a single facility. Until recently, that was at Carlson in Harvard, though I am not sure if that is still the case.

Are you saying that apple peel gets added to this blend?

I have my own tree and I'm of the opinion that...

2026-01-07T09:12:53.832-05:00

I have my own tree and I'm of the opinion that there is no point at which they are suitable for anything more than applesauce. They're either acidic enough to burn your mouth or a lump of precooked applesauce contained in garbage bag skin, and they go from one to the other overnight. Not helped by their extremely strong stems that ensure higher fruits rot on the tree unless forced down via either tall ladders or vigorous shaking. My goats think they're just dandy, however.

I will admit that as a hardy, early ripening, and extremely prolific tree they're an excellent subsistence variety, which is exactly why every older homestead in the PNW has one. Fortunately however my survival is not dependent on what I'm able to grow, so I'll stick with improved varieties from the store and keep fattening up my goats on them every year.

I don't appear to be able to log in to my Google account (on this admittedly very old post), so I guess this review will remain anonymous.

Well, there are trademarks, so "Honeycrisp&qu...

2026-01-05T12:23:22.643-05:00

Well, there are trademarks, so "Honeycrisp" is taken. But sure, you can have your ow private nicknames for things. There's an orchard near me that gives unofficial names to otherwise unnamed varieties just to keep things straight.

That example raises the question, though, of the purpose of your private names. Mostly, names are to identify an apple to the public, and changing them every year is not helpful for that. If you are looking for a McIntosh you are not going to bite a "juice-E."

Early apples can be tricky, I find.

2026-01-05T12:15:04.144-05:00

Early apples can be tricky, I find.

I was disappointed in mine, looks very pretty on t...

2026-01-03T21:43:24.699-05:00

I was disappointed in mine, looks very pretty on the tree, tastes nothing like any apple I have ever tried. Not very crisp, rather bitter.

The Belle de Boskoop that I can purchase (from nor...

2026-01-03T16:54:20.957-05:00

The Belle de Boskoop that I can purchase (from north-central Indiana orchard) are quite tart in the fall, and make great apple crisps or pies. I held a few to see how they keep and ate one with lunch today. It was considerably mellowed, a bit softer, still a very tasty apple.

I think this comment must be intended as an addend...

2026-01-01T11:32:20.127-05:00

I think this comment must be intended as an addendum to the exchange between two Anonymous upthread.

I ordered a scion of Adams Pearmain from Fedco for...

2025-12-31T19:11:12.416-05:00

I ordered a scion of Adams Pearmain from Fedco for spring of ‘26. If it takes, I can report when it fruits in several more years. It seems to do well when grown with several other apples, for its pollen seems to be inefficient, altho its female component is little effected by late frost. Lovely looking flowers & high flavor move me to try it.

in the 19th century, Ukraine was not independent b...

2025-12-27T17:06:14.274-05:00

in the 19th century, Ukraine was not independent because it was occupied partly by the russian empire and partly by Austria-Hungary. I will not write a long letter to Anonymous for his propaganda comment, but I have a feeling that people do not study history at all and cannot search the Internet (not on Russian sites) for the necessary information, but the most elementary thing is to ask how old Kyiv is 1500 and Moscow is 878 years old. Simirenko was born and lived in the central part of Ukraine, which was occupied by the russian empire at that time.

I'm so touched by the two posters who said the...

2025-12-23T17:12:53.073-05:00

I'm so touched by the two posters who said they celebrated their birthday's with Stayman-Winesaps! I discovered these in NJ soon after I got my driver's license. Since my family only drove through South Jersey to get to the beach, I had never experienced the White Horse Pike in the Fall. A farmers stand. A hand drawn cardboard sign on a row of half bushel baskets reading 'Winesap', and I was hooked! I wait ALL Summer for these precious treats!

Big fan of your work, Adam!

2025-12-23T13:03:40.941-05:00

Big fan of your work, Adam!

Iwrote about finding unrussetted Ashmeads in Seatt...

2025-12-23T01:57:30.844-05:00

Iwrote about finding unrussetted Ashmeads in Seattle last month. Comments on that report and in social media seem to say they can't be true Ashmeads.

They do look rather different.

I forgot to mention there was also a prominent pea...

2025-12-22T22:24:26.107-05:00

I forgot to mention there was also a prominent pear flavor there.

The best apple I’ve ever consumed in my 19 years o...

2025-12-22T20:38:23.488-05:00

The best apple I’ve ever consumed in my 19 years of living.

I had one of these from a roadside stand in Maryla...

2025-12-22T19:17:13.641-05:00

I had one of these from a roadside stand in Maryland. I liked it.

Low acidity, very sweet. I could taste the GD parentage in it, but it also had a vinous cranberry flavor and a certain smokiness, like smoked apple wood. One bite had a cheddar flavor in the background. Texture was crisp enough for me and there was plenty of juice.

I was talking to a friend last week and he asked i...

2025-12-22T01:22:54.191-05:00

I was talking to a friend last week and he asked if I had ever tried an Ashmead’s Kernel. We both waxed rhapsodic about it. But when I said “It’s too bad grocery stores won’t sell russeted apples,” my friend was very surprised because the ones he sees in Wisconsin are not russeted. What an odd state of affairs!

I just saw Hunnyz for the first time, and now I wi...

2025-12-22T01:18:03.408-05:00

I just saw Hunnyz for the first time, and now I wish I had bought a couple (I bought the Ludacrisp next to them, because I know I like Ludacrisp). The rumored Honeycrisp x Crimson Crisp parentage is appealing, as Crimson Crisp is my current favorite apple for fresh eating. Thanks for the “Hunny-Z” rapper pronunciation; I will call them that in my head and it will make me laugh every time.

David speaks as one who knows, of PLU rules and ap...

2025-12-17T13:31:46.780-05:00

David speaks as one who knows, of PLU rules and apples alike.

PLU numbers are a bit of a conundrum. In order to ...

2025-12-17T11:29:17.542-05:00

PLU numbers are a bit of a conundrum. In order to apply/get one for a variety, three retailers (Kroger/Trader's/HEB/etc) have to attest the variety is 'in the trade'. But to break 'in the trade' the variety must have a PLU number. The (9)4194 is used at the store level, but it's clunky at best. I do think the above examples are not Ashmeads Kernel, climate plays a role, but Ashmeads has been widely grown across the US and this level of non-comformity has not been noted. D Doud

Same, actually

2025-12-14T19:10:15.733-05:00

Same, actually

You know what's great about this blog? I can l...

2025-12-14T14:56:24.607-05:00

You know what's great about this blog? I can look back and see that I've already tasted apples that I don't ever remember having tasted.

I get jonagolds from a fruit stand directly from t...

2025-12-12T05:42:36.128-05:00

I get jonagolds from a fruit stand directly from the orchards. Poor keeper, but if you can get it direct, much better than found in stores. It’s tastes like green apple jolly ranchers, or sweet tart candy. I have also gotten Jonathan’s & love them over many of the new varieties. The newer varieties have more crunch/pop when eating and good flavor. My favorite is orchard grown Rubinettes. I have planted all these varieties, we’ll see how they do (jonagold/jonathan/rubinette).

Очень яркое описание. Заказала черенок этого яблок...

2025-12-11T23:13:15.155-05:00

Очень яркое описание. Заказала черенок этого яблока. Спасибо.

I certainly took note of that! It supports the arg...

2025-12-11T11:25:46.770-05:00

I certainly took note of that! It supports the argument (in other comments) that these are not Ashmead.

On the other hand, the Pacific Northwest is a whole different world, especially agriculturally.

Sorry, missed the photo caption. But yes, someone ...

2025-12-11T07:34:18.025-05:00

Sorry, missed the photo caption. But yes, someone made the PLU stickers and put them on.
New comment: only $1.98/pound for organic Ashmead's Kernel? That's a very good price.

Just a touch of McIntosh!

2025-12-09T12:46:11.773-05:00

Just a touch of McIntosh!

So, no McFries with an order? jk, love your work

2025-12-09T11:53:14.271-05:00

So, no McFries with an order?
jk, love your work

It's a code for "retailer assigned."...

2025-12-09T10:58:07.211-05:00

It's a code for "retailer assigned." (Check out the caption for the photo.) Still, someone printed these up for Ashmead, even if they stuck them on the wrong apple!

I also favor the mislabeling explanation. I agree...

2025-12-09T09:35:32.485-05:00

I also favor the mislabeling explanation. I agree the stem looks like Ashmead's, but that's all.
In addition to what others have said I'll add: I don't believe that PLU stickers are put on at the all orchards. Sometimes those are added at the apple storage facility, or possibly at the wholesaler. That provides other opportunities for mislabeling.
But I was impressed that a PLU sticker even exists for Ashmead's Kernel, so I decided to check it's the right PLU number. Try this website: plufinder.com. Instructions say to enter a 4 or 5 digit PLU (so 94194 is a possible PLU), but when I typed that in, it said it didn't exist. This makes me wonder if it's a local number. Try entering "apple". But fyi, Cripps Pink #3919, Macoun #3073, Baldwin #3075. Not an easy tool to use.
I did try entering 9419 and 4194 as well, but no Ashmead's Kernel
Curiouser and curriouser.

I'm going to add a vote to the mis-labelling c...

2025-12-06T12:09:48.730-05:00

I'm going to add a vote to the mis-labelling column. That doesn't look like any of the Ashmead's Kernel apples that we grow at work (North Cheshire, UK), even allowing for the usual size variation on a tree.

It's easily done. I have a tree on my allotment that I bought as 'Cornish Aromatic' that turned out to be non-typical and I'm fairly confident is actually 'Devonshire Quarrenden'. Label came off the next tree over? Grabbed the wrong scion at grafting? So many ways.

Interesting, too, that the apple grown in New Engl...

2025-12-06T05:07:15.562-05:00

Interesting, too, that the apple grown in New England closely resembles the apples grown where I am in England despite a very different climate. I’d expect if anything that the Seattle apple would be more similar to the English given the similarities of climate (mild, damp etc) - unless of course it was grown in eastern Washington.

Western WI: I, too, am suspicious. But, assuming...

2025-12-06T01:34:16.917-05:00

Western WI: I, too, am suspicious. But, assuming you kept the core, why don’t you send a sample in to Washington State for a DNA analysis? I’ve run into this problem when exploring the Seed Savers or hard in Decator IA — and that’s their solution.

I’ve also seen a fair amount of variation in Gold Rush. It seems to be getting larger and sweeter over the years. But the flavor profile remains the same. . .

You are not the only one who thinks so, see the co...

2025-12-05T13:00:47.631-05:00

You are not the only one who thinks so, see the comment from OrchardyThing above! As you point out, errors are possible at all levels; one would not expect the US FDA to screw up, but it has.

I suppose I am too trusting of the claims of selle...

2025-12-05T12:56:31.645-05:00

I suppose I am too trusting of the claims of sellers (and growers: have been fooled there too). Your observation about organic is not something I'd considered.

But should we completely rule Ashmed's out? The flavor is less complex but still lemony in the way that Ashmead's is.

At least one other knowledgeable commenter agree with you that Ashmead's is impossible.

These indeed look suspicious, but I will say that ...

2025-12-05T12:55:43.286-05:00

These indeed look suspicious, but I will say that Washington State is famous for elongated apples such as the iconic Red Delicious shape that adorns the Washington apple logo. I remember having heard or read that this is due to the cool nights that pervade the Washington apple-growing regions. My Liberty apples this year (grown in a particularly non-warm-night part of the state) were on the elongated side of the range of Liberty shapes I see in pictures. My Ashmead tree did not have any apples on it this year--only it's second year of life since being planted here, and no profusion of apple blossoms from other trees to ensure pollination. (I am going to graft a branch of Wickson on the tree this spring to aid pollination of this triploid variety.)

I wonder if it is not location but more likely mis...

2025-12-05T08:17:25.755-05:00

I wonder if it is not location but more likely mislabeled trees? That is quite a difference in appearance and taste. Look just at the varieties released by the USDA that wound up not being correct with Foxwhelp, or Fauxwhelp as it is called now, being one. It has been found to be Le Bret. Same thing with Tremlett's Bitter which is now being called Geneva Tremlett's.

There is a huge commercial orchard with a store near us and every year they put out huge bins of an apple they say is Grimes Golden. Those apples are bright green with white tart flesh. I have told them that what they are selling as Grimes Golden is not that variety, even the name should tell them that. We live on the other side of the valley and our Grimes Golden apples are dark yellow with yellow flesh and a spicy taste.

I think it's a mislabelling! As it's organ...

2025-12-05T07:47:01.259-05:00

I think it's a mislabelling! As it's organic produce that rules out the effects of certain sprays that can change the look. It's too tall for AK, only the stalk is right. Be interesting if it's a sport though as it's much more "supermarket friendly" than the AK we all know and love.

Thanks you, Linda! Of course the verse is not mine...

2025-12-01T21:16:11.495-05:00

Thanks you, Linda! Of course the verse is not mine.

Beautiful photo and lovely poem. Warm greetings fr...

2025-12-01T17:18:50.457-05:00

Beautiful photo and lovely poem. Warm greetings from Montreal, Canada 😊 ❤️ 🇨🇦

Weeks before silver tip, peek under the soil, and ...

2025-11-29T14:10:17.745-05:00

Weeks before silver tip, peek under the soil, and you'll spot new roots pushing out, getting ready to begin feeding the trees.

I'm not sure my sample of Sheep's Nose a f...

2025-11-22T18:35:38.848-05:00

I'm not sure my sample of Sheep's Nose a few years ago was the same variety (mine were quite small and more oblong/evenly ovate with less of a shoulder), but if so: I agree that they are disappointing to eat raw, but if you're into baked apples, give them another shot. During baking, the skin of my sample split in half from stem to blossom, and the top half lifted off in one piece. My notes say "Skin lifts off like a little jewel box!! Can't cut; scoops like ice cream. Vanilla, pineapple, very soft nutmeg. Soft fluff. Really special."

My favorite fruit.

2025-11-19T15:32:44.940-05:00

My favorite fruit.

I love this blog!!!🥰🫶🏾😂💪🏾🫡🌊

2025-11-19T07:03:14.816-05:00

I love this blog!!!🥰🫶🏾😂💪🏾🫡🌊

Thank you, Darren! This is the kind of detective w...

2025-11-16T12:46:07.439-05:00

Thank you, Darren! This is the kind of detective work I admire.

The descriptions of Leathercoat also do not square with the apples that Jesse sent me. So either Royal is not Leathecoat, or I am wrong and Brown is not Royal.

Russets! My absolute favourite. After a quick lo...

2025-11-16T05:01:33.317-05:00

Russets! My absolute favourite.

After a quick look at the early sources, I think 'Leathercoat' and 'Royal Russet' are highly likely to have been different varieties, yes.

The earliest mention I could find for 'Leathercoate' is in Parkinson's 'Paradisi in Sole Paradisus Terrestris' in 1629.

Miller lists both 'Royal Russet' and 'Royal Russeting' in various Gardener's Dictionary, Gardeners Kalendar etc. volumes c. 1730s.

There's also a mention of a 'Leathercoat russetin' in Powell's Royal Gardener of 1769.

Both 'Royal Russet' and 'Leather-Coat Russet' are listed in Abercrombie's 'British Fruit Gardener' of 1779, separating the two.

By the time we get to Barron's 'British Apples' in 1884, both 'Leathercoat' and 'Leathercoat Brown Russet' are said to be synonyms of 'Old Leathercoat Russet', and 'Royal Russet' is listed separately, with differing descriptions for each.

Definitely benefits from a few months of storage. ...

2025-11-15T10:21:54.479-05:00

Definitely benefits from a few months of storage. When they become almost magical in intense sweet tanginess. With lots of flavor notes.

My favorite apple! Good fresh, or for baked apple...

2025-11-14T10:40:13.148-05:00

My favorite apple! Good fresh, or for baked apples and pies I've made

Robert, that is both flattering and gratifying. Th...

2025-11-11T00:34:45.327-05:00

Robert, that is both flattering and gratifying. Thank you!

As I think anyone who reads much of my blog will know, I do not grow apples and am only superficially knowledgeable about many things that are important to orchardists, farmers, and gardeners.

It's great when real growers share their knowledge and practical experiences.

Adam - just wanted to write with a big thank-you f...

2025-11-07T11:19:28.282-05:00

Adam - just wanted to write with a big thank-you for tasting and publishing your pomeaceous perusings. So often with “things internet” (notably wine reviews!) the info is doubtful and the end consumer experience is wanting.

In sharp, crisp and juicy contradistinction, my wife and I have found your apple reviews to be spot on. Which is all the more remarkable that your East Coast samplings correlate strongly (and years later) with our Midwest fruit growing experiences. We did select trees, and continue to do so, based on your ratings and reviews and have been thoroughly happy with them. We have been thrilled with William’s Pride, Liberty and Honeycrisp for fresh eating and Wolf River for pies. (We will reserve judgement on Akane till next year.) Last night, we were absolutely amazed by an Ashmead’s Kernel - truly the best apple we have ever consumed! We will be planting Wickson, Chestnut and Canadian Strawberry next season. (For other grower’s info - all of the trees thus far have been spray-free and the apples organza-bagged to protect from pests.)

Thanks again and keep up the great work!

A great apple to put by until the spring too!

2025-11-06T10:57:03.605-05:00

A great apple to put by until the spring too!

GoldRush should be ready this week at my place in ...

2025-11-06T07:41:50.730-05:00

GoldRush should be ready this week at my place in NH. They are my last few trees with apples. A great tasting apple to end the season.

First Time this tree gave Apple in Lake St John, Q...

2025-11-02T05:12:27.753-05:00

First Time this tree gave Apple in Lake St John, Québec in 2025 after more than 10 years…how to keep it ?

But how it Ever got here in Roberval, northern Qué...

2025-11-02T04:56:12.276-05:00

But how it Ever got here in Roberval, northern Québec ? And I Read that some one in Saguenay has the same… we have moved here more than 10 years ago and it is the first time , 6 fruits, Thank you

UK here, I have tasted Discovery in September off ...

2025-10-31T08:10:57.732-04:00

UK here, I have tasted Discovery in September off the tree, along with Worcester Pearmain. Agree on the taste but I do find Discovery goes mealy fairly quickly sadly.

Stephen Hayes who posted youtube videos from his orchard years ago talked highly about Devonshire Quarrenden, Baker's Delicious and Laxton's Epicure and out of the early apples he prefers those over Discovery. None of the earlies keep very long but there are some that keep long enough to be manageable.

IMHO, the original, more russeted (Belle de / Scho...

2025-10-30T23:35:35.308-04:00

IMHO, the original, more russeted (Belle de / Schone van) Boskoop form is more scab-resistant than its smoother sports.

BTW, it's a triploid cultivar, somewhat prone to mutations, so you can probably have an old Boskoop apple tree with yellow fruit on one branch, and red on another :-)
Just to illustrate the variety of forms (photos on a French site called "ARBOSCHWIN"): ordinary one;
Green;
Yellow;
Red (incl. Schmitz-Hübsch, Valastrid etc.)

+1 for (Belle de/Schone van) Boskoop: large, russe...

2025-10-28T02:12:03.574-04:00

+1 for (Belle de/Schone van) Boskoop: large, russeted, red-blushed one.

P.S. One can also pay attention to the seeds:
Boskoop (and other triploid/3n/mutants) generally has bad-quality (too thin and underdeveloped) seeds,
while Aporta/Alexander (and other diploid/2n/normal apples) should have normal seeds.

Curiously, there's a classic Ukrainian apple c...

2025-10-28T01:49:25.652-04:00

Curiously, there's a classic Ukrainian apple cultivar with a somewhat similar name: "Snow Calville" (uk: Кальвіль сніговий; ru: Кальвиль снежный; fr: Calville Neige; de: Schneekalvill).
It has been very popular here through the 20th century (second only to Simirenko), until the unlucky 1990s (eventually getting replaced by Golden Delicious, almost completely).

Parentage has been confirmed with DNA profiling as...

2025-10-27T07:52:26.184-04:00

Parentage has been confirmed with DNA profiling as Worcester Pearmain and Beauty of Bath. There is a very complete description on FruitID.com https://fruitid.com/#view/546

I tasted an Arkansas black for the first time in B...

2025-10-26T19:55:00.915-04:00

I tasted an Arkansas black for the first time in Blue Ridge GA a week ago. I thought it was the most delicious apple I had ever tasted!! To me it was sweet, firm and I thought it would be wonderful to bake with. This is coming from a person who ate an apple maybe once a year. I’ve eaten 4 in two weeks. Will go back to GA next fall to get more!!! Yum!!

Thank you for that description! Which supplements ...

2025-10-26T13:52:50.220-04:00

Thank you for that description! Which supplements what I was able to eke out from samples that were not at their very best.

We have a Discovery growing in a garden where I wo...

2025-10-26T12:37:40.899-04:00

We have a Discovery growing in a garden where I work in South Wales, UK and every august I look forward to tasting those first beautiful scarlet apples of the year. Fresh off the tree they are delicious, juicy and sweet with a hind of strawberry and an aroma of rose water and If the weather is warm and sunny the normally white flesh is stained pink well into body. Sadly however they lose their flavour within a few days once picked and so for three to four weeks at most can I savour the delights of a freshly picked Discovery.

Last time i came across winesaps was the farmers m...

2025-10-24T14:31:07.227-04:00

Last time i came across winesaps was the farmers market in Union Square in NYC. So you could look for orchards/retailers in upstate NY that might ship...?

It is remarkable how every place has its own apple...

2025-10-24T10:44:42.782-04:00

It is remarkable how every place has its own apples. What an adaptable fruit!

A comment on the Liberty apples, shown in your bot...

2025-10-24T06:19:46.008-04:00

A comment on the Liberty apples, shown in your bottom picture: These make an excellent apple sauce that is extraordinarily rich in flavor and they are fantastic in baked goods. Yes, Liberty has balancing tartness, but it also has good sugar content. Our apple sauce made from LIberty apples has excellent sweetness with no sugar added. I like eating Liberty apples raw - I appreciate their complex flavor and their good, crisp and dense texture when picked at their prime - but they are outside of the realm of modern apple tastes, which favor more sweet and less tart. I think even folks who might naturally gravitate towards an Evercrisp, Sugarbee or Envy will appreciate apple sauce and baked goods made from Liberty apples, though.

That's quite an amazing selection of apples. ...

2025-10-24T06:09:25.175-04:00

That's quite an amazing selection of apples. We are just wrapping up apple harvest at my location in the Northern Plains, where we are grateful for Minnesota's apple program, as it gives us a good lineup of cold-hardy options that have good flavor, survive our winters, and don't exhibit excessive drop in the high winds we often experience in the prairies. I'd love to grow the Macoun - it's supposed to be hardy to -30F and should theoretically survive winters at my location - but have not, given its poor fruit adherence and propensity to drop (as noted by the previous commenter). Alas, that variety is best suited for less windy locations. I look forward to sampling it again the next time I have the opportunity it travel to New York or New England in the fall.

That is an interesting observation about watercore...

2025-10-23T21:30:02.865-04:00

That is an interesting observation about watercore and altitude. it makes sense, since the sap has that much farther to go, but I had never made the connection before.

I visited our local-est apple farm yesterday and w...

2025-10-23T11:32:39.087-04:00

I visited our local-est apple farm yesterday and was able to try my first ripe Macoun(s). I'm sure they weren't peak because they were windfalls, but there was only one still on the tree and I saved it for my husband. I also sampled a very rusted and misshapen Haralson from a small tree that wasn't truly producing yet, and was surprised by it's spongy flesh, though the flavor was still very good. I'm no taster, so I couldn't tell you what I tasted in either. The Macoun was delicious and much sweeter than I expected based on how well you like it, much sweeter than a Mac, though the vinous quality was definitely there. Maybe that comes from growing in a warmer region (Eastern Washington, zone 6b).

I also harvested about fifty pounds of peak Empires from the tops of the trees, while my children gathered windfalls for sauce from the ground. We discovered that the apples growing nearest the ground were watercored, but not the ones at the top. Empire is my favorite of the apples I can get from this orchard (Jonamac is another, but the trees were getting pretty empty), and I'm looking forward to getting to eat them for the next few weeks. I learned the hard way last year that they get chill damage in my chest freezer we've modified to be a fridge, so I'm just going to keep them in the cellar and use them up, as well as dry a bunch.

I haven't discovered the local heirloom orchards that I know exist here. I'm a bit jealous of your Ashmead's kernels, but still hoping to try one someday. Happy apple hunting!

I grow Pixie Crunch in my backyard in Walnut Creek...

2025-10-21T09:58:15.419-04:00

I grow Pixie Crunch in my backyard in Walnut Creek, California. It is one of my very favorite apples. Colors up deeply (so many apples, grown in California don’t get the beautiful colors they do when grown elsewhere) , has an amazing texture , and never seems to get any codling moth damage. Visitors to my backyard always comment on what a beautiful tree it is. Can’t beat something so aesthetically, pleasing and tasty!

Growing up in the UK this was the only apple tree ...

2025-10-19T19:12:05.845-04:00

Growing up in the UK this was the only apple tree we had in the garden. Mum would chop and freeze a load for apple crumble and sauce and we would eat slices dipped in white sugar to balance the tartness.

We live in western Michigan And find limited Tol...

2025-10-18T11:05:11.411-04:00

We live in western Michigan
And find limited Tolman Trees. I can them for a delicious winter treat with a meal. They have been canning Toman Sweets in my husband's family since the Early 1900's. It is the only fall canning I continue.

Last march I grafted a B.P. Onto M26 rootstock fro...

2025-10-15T08:29:26.219-04:00

Last march I grafted a B.P. Onto M26 rootstock from scions I collected from an espalier tree at the Cowbridge Physic Garden in the Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales, UK. Quite why they have BP I’m not sure but I very look forward to my first fruit in a year or two. Their tree looked very healthy so fingers crossed for mine.

Ashmead’s Kernel is my favorite apple! Lemony tart...

2025-10-13T07:05:39.972-04:00

Ashmead’s Kernel is my favorite apple! Lemony tart but sweet and juicy! Perfection.

Just finished eating one for the very first time. ...

2025-10-12T19:07:20.857-04:00

Just finished eating one for the very first time. Don't know where banana, B vitamin, and juicy comes in. This "premium apple" is going straight to the apple pie filling canning recipe.

That photo (the last one) is from Autumn Hills, in...

2025-10-12T17:02:10.726-04:00

That photo (the last one) is from Autumn Hills, in Groton, Massachusetts, last month. It is a beautiful place with a lot of apples.

Pomme gris! Which orchard was that photo from?

2025-10-12T16:56:20.131-04:00

Pomme gris! Which orchard was that photo from?

I find that quality can vary, but these range from...

2025-10-12T11:33:32.449-04:00

I find that quality can vary, but these range from "merely excellent" to "wow!"

Just got some today at Scott Farm Orchard today. S...

2025-10-08T19:24:03.608-04:00

Just got some today at Scott Farm Orchard today. Some going into tonight’s pie- the rest will be stored for a while.

Thanks!

2025-10-06T15:43:42.992-04:00

Thanks!

They have them at O’Niells in Lafayette

2025-10-06T15:28:47.045-04:00

They have them at O’Niells in Lafayette

I purchased about 10 of these from my local apple ...

2025-10-04T15:33:35.531-04:00

I purchased about 10 of these from my local apple farm and loved them so much I went back a few days later to get a whole peck. Like you say, I think you got an older one as the description you gave seemed off compared to what I am enjoying. My fiancé whole does not like fruits much or rarely eats a fresh apple is eating at least one per day and raving about how good they are. I really love these apples and the juicy sweet taste. They’re easy for me to eat, I have a jaw condition so the easy crunch bite is a plus. Hope you can enjoy a fresh one some day!

We host an apple tasting party every fall, and thi...

2025-10-03T23:29:37.393-04:00

We host an apple tasting party every fall, and this year, Kidd's Orange Red was the winner, hands down. I grow it in Walnut Creek, CA and like it better than Cox's Orange. It still has the acidity/punch of COP but with a bit more sweetness. The flavor this year was very rich, with hints of violet and raisins. I agree, I wish it were more crisp, but I totally understand why Kidd made this cross - he wanted a bit mellower, sweeter COP and in this he succeeded. Outstanding!

Hi Adam, We harvested our first Bramley's last...

2025-10-03T11:06:18.373-04:00

Hi Adam,
We harvested our first Bramley's last week. Knowing that they are a "cooking" apple, we baked them along with a Crimson Crisp and Claygate Pearmain to compare texture and flavor. The Bramleys will melt as the literature describes if you let them cook too long (after about 15 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees F). If you want a firmer baked apple you will need to watch them. Crimson Crisp was the firmest apple then Claygate after 20 minutes in the oven. Bramley's and Claygate easily beat Crimson Crisp for flavor after a bake. We also ate them out of hand. Claygate Pearmain had the best flavor but Bramley's wasn't farm behind with greater tartness. Crimson Crisp was kind of boring compared to the first two. You need to try a ripe Bramley's. We also put the Bramley's on a pizza with chorizo sausage and a sprinkling of blue cheese. It was a WOW pizza.

The latter seems to hold true for just about any f...

2025-09-30T11:43:25.793-04:00

The latter seems to hold true for just about any fruit and any kind of damage; I have noticed the same for tomatoes, cherries, apricots, plums and just about anything else I have grown.

I just picked some of these last weekend, and I’ve...

2025-09-30T10:06:00.806-04:00

I just picked some of these last weekend, and I’ve been happily crunching on them (several a day!). Sweet and tangy, juicy and crunchy…these are simply delicious!

Mike wrote: > some softening near the insect da...

2025-09-29T22:58:54.842-04:00

Mike wrote:
> some softening near the insect damage

Not sure about your apple pests...
But from my experience, apple worms:
1) prefer more tasty / fragrant fruit varieties;
2) somewhat hasten the ripening of the damaged fruit.

The problem with Cortlands, consistently, is that ...

2025-09-28T23:35:31.617-04:00

The problem with Cortlands, consistently, is that they have maybe 3 weeks out of the year where they're amazing, and the rest of the year they're almost inedible. They should be almost a little starchy, very crunchy, with a good sweet-to-tart balance. But this only occurs close to where they're grown during their harvest season.

I think that a week earlier can be best depending ...

2025-09-28T16:35:38.411-04:00

I think that a week earlier can be best depending on the climate and the vicissitudes of the year. I also think the quality is variable, even the same year fro the same tree. But even an average Cox, if there is such a thing, is a very good apple.

May your tree bear more each year.

Wow. It's probably been over 10 years since I ...

2025-09-28T15:28:30.265-04:00

Wow. It's probably been over 10 years since I started getting into apples and hearing about Cox's Orange Pippin. I dreamed of tasting one someday. In the western U.S., this isn't easy. I lived in Southern California and though some apples grow well there, Cox's wasn't recommended for planting, so I skipped it. Then I moved to Washington State and planted a tree. 18 months later I had two rather large but insect-damaged fruits on the tree. I was aware of a late September/early October ripening date for this variety, so was waiting until at least October 1 to pick them. But yesterday I noticed some softening near the insect damage and thought I better go ahead and harvest while I still had something left. BOOM! I was expecting good but I had no idea how good it would be. EXPLOSION of wonderful flavors, with a lingering aftertaste that reminded me of how pleasant it was. I was going to just eat the one and give the other to my dad, but then I woke up this morning, saw the apple, and gave into temptation. Sorry Dad, maybe next year. And maybe next year I can also experience the flavor changes upon storage. Didn't have the patience this year with just two fruits.

BTW, that pair (Jonathan x Red Delicious) has some...

2025-09-28T15:02:12.882-04:00

BTW, that pair (Jonathan x Red Delicious) has some more offspring: Jonadel, Jonalicious...
(Meanwhile: Jonared is just a red sport of Jonathan).

Just for comparison: Jonared is a sport of Jonatha...

2025-09-27T20:49:30.607-04:00

Just for comparison:
Jonared is a sport of Jonathan,
Jonagored is a sport of Jonagold.

Apple-oriented charity idea: scholarships for teac...

2025-09-26T13:00:34.126-04:00

Apple-oriented charity idea: scholarships for teaching growers how to spell common varietal names. JonaThen? Why not JonaNow?

Thank you, John! I hope you do not regret any of t...

2025-09-24T15:00:49.196-04:00

Thank you, John! I hope you do not regret any of those decisions about what to grow (or not).

Congratulations on maintaining this fun and inform...

2025-09-24T11:43:04.961-04:00

Congratulations on maintaining this fun and informative site for all these years. I’ve been following you since 2010. We grow several of our apple varieties thanks to your reviews, and decided against others for the same reason.

P.S. > Its flesh is... a light buttery yellow ...

2025-09-24T07:58:35.292-04:00

P.S.

> Its flesh is... a light buttery yellow

From my tasting experience
(a fresh new Gala season has started here in Ukraine...):
the riper is the Gala apple, the yellower gets the flesh.

You have a devious mind, Mike.

2025-09-21T22:37:24.932-04:00

You have a devious mind, Mike.

Makes me wonder if I could breed an apple as peril...

2025-09-21T15:40:33.598-04:00

Makes me wonder if I could breed an apple as perilous as fugu, the sometimes-poisonous blowfish that the Japanese eat.

The apple looks good.

2025-09-21T13:33:59.868-04:00

The apple looks good.

And to make things more confusing, there're fe...

2025-09-21T06:31:17.731-04:00

And to make things more confusing, there're few unrelated, new apple varieties (incl. sports!) named "Celeste"...

If you live in the countryside in England, many vi...

2025-09-20T18:00:09.309-04:00

If you live in the countryside in England, many villages and market towns have an Apple Day in October where people can bring and share apple varieties, and community orchards are now widespread. Happily there has been a renaissance of interest in apples and heritage varieties in the past two or three decades, as can be seen from a search online. Most people who have a garden of any reasonable size will have an apple tree if not several.

These days London (together with most of big UK cities) is like visiting another planet from the rest of England. It bears little resemblance to the place George Orwell knew - and a look at the demographics of such places should mean it is no surprise that interest in apples is rather limited.

I suspect I won't see them here this year, mor...

2025-09-20T15:46:26.047-04:00

I suspect I won't see them here this year, more's the pity.

Belle de Boskoop is a good baking apple. It holds ...

2025-09-20T14:22:55.526-04:00

Belle de Boskoop is a good baking apple. It holds its shape well, and isn’t overly sweet.

I ate the last of my hoarded 2024 Ashmead’s Kernel...

2025-09-20T14:17:56.792-04:00

I ate the last of my hoarded 2024 Ashmead’s Kernel apples last month (August 2025). Not as crisp, and the tartness had faded, it it was still delicious and better than a grocery store apple! I bought Ashmead’s Kernel (as well as Belle de Boskoop, Cox’s Orange Pippin, and Amarilla Soul [formerly MAIA 973]) this week at farmers market. My source (David Doud’s Countyline Orchard, Wabash County, IN) said they had picked the entire crop of Ashmead’s Kernel last week, and it was a small crop this year. There is another, smaller local orchard that also grows AK so I’m hoping to get a few more this season.

I “hoard” Ashmead’s Kernel apples…ate the last of ...

2025-09-20T14:11:21.172-04:00

I “hoard” Ashmead’s Kernel apples…ate the last of the 2024 last month (August 2025). While not as crisp, and it had lost much of it’s tartness, it was still delicious. I bought Ashmead’s Kernel this week at farmers market. My source (David Doud’s Countyline Orchard, Wabash County, IN) said they had picked their entire crop this week, and it was a small harvest. Glad I got them when I saw them! There is a smaller orchard in the area that grows AK, but it’s a shy bearer many years.

You never know, but I think so. The people who gro...

2025-09-19T23:12:54.751-04:00

You never know, but I think so. The people who grow these apples and the people who sell them at farmers market are not always the same.

Early on in my apple blogging, I wrote an entire review of "Pomme Frise" and nearly published it before the next week, when it was labeled Pomme Grise.

Is Fugi a sport of Fuji? Or just a mispelling?

2025-09-19T22:30:35.238-04:00

Is Fugi a sport of Fuji? Or just a mispelling?

I was unaware of these until just this last week. ...

2025-09-19T22:25:43.416-04:00

I was unaware of these until just this last week. They looked appealing in the market and I was not disappointed.

New England is blessed with a vibrant apple cultur...

2025-09-18T10:34:54.177-04:00

New England is blessed with a vibrant apple culture.

So jealous! We have nothing like the variety of ap...

2025-09-18T10:25:48.612-04:00

So jealous! We have nothing like the variety of apples offered for sale at local farmers markets like you. If we want something different, we have to grow it ourselves.

What a workhorse this apple is! I grow it in Walnu...

2025-09-18T01:09:27.950-04:00

What a workhorse this apple is! I grow it in Walnut Creek, CA, and my dwarf tree produced about a bushel of beautiful apples this year. I don't spray, and none of the apples I harvested this year had any codling moth damage. Zero disease, and very vigorous. The flavor is wonderful, too, but it has a thick skin, which probably accounts for the lack of insect damage. Some of the apples will grow HUGE with thinning. They are covered with a thick bloom but polish up to very beautiful, bright read apples. I come from Indiana originally and am partial to varieties that originated from Purdue. Highly recommend for the backyard grower.

PC is one of my favorites, too! It does extremely ...

2025-09-18T01:05:03.223-04:00

PC is one of my favorites, too! It does extremely well here in Walnut Creek, CA and produces very fine fruit despite our hot summers. It has a rich flavor, with just enough tartness, orange-yellow flesh when fully ripe, and is wonderfully crunchy. Small, but very cute. Always draws admiring comments from visitors to my garden. It is also one of the most beautiful apples I grow, turning a bright red when approaching ripeness. It is hard to get much color in apples grown in warmer climates, but PC never disappoints here.
The only drawback is that it sometimes gets fire blight, although it hasn't killed the tree that I have growing on M27 rootstock. I hear it can be quite disease prone in hot, humid climates, so maybe it is best grown in summer-dry climates.

Thank you! Wisconsin would be better, but Wabash, ...

2025-09-15T17:44:41.606-04:00

Thank you! Wisconsin would be better, but Wabash, IN might still work.

My grandparents grew Duchess of Oldenburg so they’...

2025-09-13T22:17:26.591-04:00

My grandparents grew Duchess of Oldenburg so they’re my favorite. I don’t consider them ripe if they have a greenish tint, however. They’re kinda a problem for commercial growers because by the time they’re ripe half of them will have fallen off the tree. I remember filling paper grocery bags with fallen fruit. When we got home we would quarter, core, peel and slice them as soon as possible and freeze the slices for pies or chunky-style applesauce.

I am full of gratitude for growers that keep us up...

2025-09-13T14:42:47.238-04:00

I am full of gratitude for growers that keep us up to date.

Sheburne has a few, including the Karmijn de Sonna...

2025-09-13T08:47:45.618-04:00

Sheburne has a few, including the Karmijn de Sonnaville, though I would say its a bit early. Nice up-to-date list on their website.

Sounds delicious, looking forward to tasting that ...

2025-09-13T08:47:45.171-04:00

Sounds delicious, looking forward to tasting that exceptional Chestnut Crabapple and hoping the early McIntosh still turns out juicy!

All to Buzz

Wabash Indiana (sorry!)

2025-09-13T00:20:27.499-04:00

Wabash Indiana (sorry!)

Oh, of course! That should teach me not to multita...

2025-09-13T00:19:16.549-04:00

Oh, of course! That should teach me not to multitask.

Indiana - Wabash Indiana

2025-09-12T08:26:09.315-04:00

Indiana - Wabash Indiana

Well, that is a new on on me! They do not come nor...

2025-09-07T20:11:36.804-04:00

Well, that is a new on on me! They do not come north of the river. I will have to get down there sometime!

All my MAIA apples are courtesy of David Doud, a M...

2025-09-07T20:10:08.110-04:00

All my MAIA apples are courtesy of David Doud, a MAIA founder, at Doud's County line Orchard in Wabash, Wisconsin.

It would be great if you could rescue this variety!

I got them from Stillman's.

2025-09-07T10:42:32.987-04:00

I got them from Stillman's.

There are several varieties called Sheep's Nos...

2025-09-06T19:38:42.482-04:00

There are several varieties called Sheep's Nose, and I don't think I have had one that is ripe in early September. Do you remember who sold it?

My find for the week were the Chestnut Crabapples.

I've been enjoying the Ellen's Sheep's...

2025-09-05T18:23:27.962-04:00

I've been enjoying the Ellen's Sheep's Nose that I picked up at Watertown last week and Brookline this week. It's a huge, oblong apple with a nice fruity flavor. The texture is a bit mealy, which is good for making applesauce.

Any chance you can share which orchard (or orchard...

2025-09-05T15:48:08.261-04:00

Any chance you can share which orchard (or orchardist) shared this apple? I'm wondering if I can add an orchard with this to my apple weekend.

Thank you, @Darren!

2025-09-05T12:45:09.585-04:00

Thank you, @Darren!

The best advice is probably to find a local specia...

2025-09-05T01:10:47.677-04:00

The best advice is probably to find a local specialist fruit nursery, and ask them what they have in stock, and what they think would grow well in your soil and general weather conditions. There's no substitute for expert local knowledge.

Can you advise me on which variety would be best f...

2025-09-04T12:36:15.922-04:00

Can you advise me on which variety would be best for a temperate climate? I particularly enjoy apples with a sour flavor.

This variety is very popular in Poland.

2025-09-04T12:30:47.391-04:00

This variety is very popular in Poland.

Kudos to you, especially since some fruit farmers ...

2025-09-03T10:42:00.433-04:00

Kudos to you, especially since some fruit farmers here feel that the excellent WP can be troublesome to grow.

Adam, you are right on. We have found Redfree to b...

2025-09-03T10:12:45.014-04:00

Adam, you are right on. We have found Redfree to be quite variable in quality and taste. Two years ago they were flavorless and soft. Last year some were ok and others were quite good. We have been doing taste testing with our customers over the past week: Redfree vs Williams Pride. William's Pride handily beat Redfree. So, this spring we will be regrafting Williams Pride onto our Redfree rootstock.

Skin of William’s Pride is considerably thicker th...

2025-09-02T14:10:45.603-04:00

Skin of William’s Pride is considerably thicker than Liberty.

No problem, I've saved a copy... > Phew, I&...

2025-08-27T10:28:32.388-04:00

No problem, I've saved a copy...

> Phew, I've nearly missed your newer sub-acidity post :-)

> https://adamapples.blogspot.com/2019/05/subacid.html

Take care! :-)

And here I thought I was going get called out for ...

2025-08-26T11:02:41.145-04:00

And here I thought I was going get called out for saying one could "watch" a crescendo!

Please forgive my own linguistic pet peeve--sympho...

2025-08-26T02:18:17.147-04:00

Please forgive my own linguistic pet peeve--symphonies do not build to a crescendo. The crescendo builds to a climax.

In other news, I came home Saturday to find that, in the hot weather, one of my Summer Rambos separated from the tree when I applied a gentle lift. I ate it, and it was good, but I think it was not quite ripe, despite the scission. I suspect that our sudden burst of heat (mid eighties! oh no!) may have stressed the tree or fruit enough to call it quits. The remaining 4 apples--more shaded--are still firmly attached, and will hopefully ripen more before I pick them. Mid eighties may not sound like much to most continental US residents, but mid-seventies was probably as hot as it had gotten for the rest of the summer here at the northwestern corner of the continental US. But--my first home-grown Washington apple!

Sparcher, a reader, left a comment here noting tha...

2025-08-24T11:57:05.299-04:00

Sparcher, a reader, left a comment here noting that I had posted another, better post on this topic in 2019. I quite accidentally deleted it (very sorry, Sparcher, really). The user interface for this software could be better, or perhaps I am just a klutz.

I indulge myself by leaving intact old posts that chart my growth on this topic and in this medium. It seems to me that as I learn more everything from photography to palate has slowly improved. But perhaps I owe my readers a short note and a link to the newer post.

Apologies to Sparcher: I did not mean it.

It's gratifying when this happens, thanks for ...

2025-08-23T12:42:33.507-04:00

It's gratifying when this happens, thanks for letting me know! Coincidentally, just this morning I was visiting a friend in New Hampshire who asked me if I could identify the fruit from an old tree on her property. It was (probably) Gravenstein.

They aren't quire ripe here yet, I think, but I am looking forward to getting some this year.

Because of your site, I have finally identified th...

2025-08-23T12:05:08.486-04:00

Because of your site, I have finally identified the apple tree that I have had for approximately 27 years! We bought a homestead from the 1800's and there was an apple tree already there. It seemed to be very old. We moved so I dug several starts from suckers and got one to live. My present "new" tree is about 20 years old now. It was absolutely loaded this year. I have always tried to wait until September to pick the apples, but they seem to rot before then, so I thought I was picking them a little green. Now I know they are a late July or August apple! It looks exactly like the Gravenstein, inside and out, and the flavor is as described also. It's great for fresh eating and makes wonderful pies and apple crisp. Thank you for featuring the Gravestein apple! Charla from southcentral Kansas.

I grow over thirty varieties of apple, zone 8,and ...

2025-08-22T18:10:26.706-04:00

I grow over thirty varieties of apple, zone 8,and this is my favourite for taste, so it could be conditions (or taste buds!). I grow mostly similar Cox-style apples, so it has stiff competition.

I love growing this apple (northern UK), it is und...

2025-08-22T18:03:26.123-04:00

I love growing this apple (northern UK), it is undemanding, productive, a consistent cropper, disease-free and impressive to look at. The apples store well, too, which is great because just one feeds the whole family.

Picking too early is a pet peeve of mine. The phot...

2025-08-22T00:00:23.027-04:00

Picking too early is a pet peeve of mine. The photo is not from this year; I think you might approve of the ones I found this week!

At least in my geography, Zestar is still under-ri...

2025-08-21T22:28:26.932-04:00

At least in my geography, Zestar is still under-ripe and quite tart when it is red and green, as shown in your picture. In my experience, this apple reaches its prime when it is red and yellow. Alas, many producers have a tendency pick the fruit a bit on the early side.

Last year (or the year before), you shared a chart...

2025-08-21T07:04:38.697-04:00

Last year (or the year before), you shared a chart of what apples you found at market when. Will you be doing that this year? Cheers

This comment recaps the discussion in comments to ...

2025-08-20T09:22:42.421-04:00

This comment recaps the discussion in comments to my original Chenango review. It is worth noting here, so thanks.

Confusions of this nature are not unknown, but all I can do is to describe the apples I've got.

The Chenango Strawberry I'm familiar with is e...

2025-08-20T08:21:36.603-04:00

The Chenango Strawberry I'm familiar with is elongated, definitely not oblate like the one in your photo.

New York has an awesome apple heritage! PS I absol...

2025-08-20T08:07:07.616-04:00

New York has an awesome apple heritage! PS I absolutely respect the Honeycrisp.

Kitty Crockett's book is one of my all time fa...

2025-08-19T14:01:47.416-04:00

Kitty Crockett's book is one of my all time favorite books. I usually read fiction so for a memoir to be one of my favorites is saying something. Thanks for your blog. I'm a fairly regular reader--even though I am a Honeycrisp lover! HaHa. Thanks to your blog I have tried many other varieties. I live in the far northeastern corner of New York--apple country! If you're ever near Plattsburgh NY be sure to check out Northern Orchard in neighboring Peru, NY. They carry a very impressive variety of apples. They usually have some unnamed and "mystery" apples. Fun to try those.

The above exchange, between two clearly different ...

2025-08-19T12:50:15.167-04:00

The above exchange, between two clearly different "Anonymous," say noting about any apples and arguably do not belong here. There is clearly a propaganda war today in which apologists for Russian imperial aspirations maintain that past imperialisms (Ottoman, Russian) eradicate all other histories. As Orwell wrote, "He who controls the past controls the future."

Apples, anyone?

In the 19th century, Ukraine as an independent sta...

2025-08-18T15:40:28.295-04:00

In the 19th century, Ukraine as an independent state did not exist; Lev Semerenko lived in the Russian Empire. Crimea has been part of Russia since 1783, when the Russian Empire took control of it from the Ottoman Empire. Ukranian "history" is just a fiction, most historians outside the Ukraine question its narratives.

Thank you so much for sharing this memory! Warm gr...

2025-08-17T16:47:34.849-04:00

Thank you so much for sharing this memory! Warm greetings from Montreal, Canada.

Thank you for sharing this memory, Lynn. It is now...

2025-08-17T15:17:03.836-04:00

Thank you for sharing this memory, Lynn. It is now a blog post.

In the early 1960’s for several summers I worked a...

2025-08-17T13:51:12.765-04:00

In the early 1960’s for several summers I worked at Nagog Hill Farm when J. Morrison maintained a dairy farm there. I recall one warm August day when I was assigned to clear a fence line in the old peach orchard. The peaches were at their peak and none were picked. I almost got sick on the best peaches I have ever eaten. At the time I had no idea I was in one of a handful of the oldest, continuous fruit orchards in the country.
Lynn Jones.

Just had my first Pristine of the season today (I ...

2025-08-16T20:40:54.411-04:00

Just had my first Pristine of the season today (I have a hobby orchard in NH). I have one Jersey Mac apple this year on a young tree and I am hoping I get it before the crows.

I am thinking that my first graft onto my "ea...

2025-08-12T12:27:06.390-04:00

I am thinking that my first graft onto my "early" tree (Summer Rambo) will now be Pristine, rather than William's Pride. Eventually, as the tree grows bigger, I will probably have both grafted.

You are very kind, though the superlative is, I th...

2025-08-08T22:32:00.092-04:00

You are very kind, though the superlative is, I think, not true. I am however a big fan of blogging as a way to build a body of work, in small bits. This blog is an example of that!

I agree, what's that name supposed to be about...

2025-08-08T22:28:58.529-04:00

I agree, what's that name supposed to be about? Smerleda is clever, Lillibet is sweet. Brand in haste, repent at leisure!

Adam, what you’ve created here is nothing short of...

2025-08-08T15:49:49.915-04:00

Adam, what you’ve created here is nothing short of amazing. It looks like your posting schedule has been fairly consistent as well. So many people give up or get bored of maintaining their blogs after a few years, but you’ve kept at it and now have the most famous apple blog in the history of the internet.

Smeralda îs now being marketed in the US as "...

2025-08-08T08:43:36.869-04:00

Smeralda îs now being marketed in the US as "Mosaic"(TM). Another name that doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.
Jesse Downs

Very sad, indeed, Adam. I wish I lived closer and ...

2025-08-05T19:11:39.346-04:00

Very sad, indeed, Adam. I wish I lived closer and could take a shot at it!

Your passion for apples is truly remarkable. Thank...

2025-08-02T08:54:59.066-04:00

Your passion for apples is truly remarkable. Thank you for Adam's blog.

To the extent this blog as anything like an agenda...

2025-08-01T12:29:23.691-04:00

To the extent this blog as anything like an agenda, it is to encourage people to try new things. Thanks you!

As newbies to the search for good apples, we rely ...

2025-08-01T09:30:32.654-04:00

As newbies to the search for good apples, we rely on your blog for your assessments and for the reviews of contributors. I am sure that we share with many others the deepest gratitude for your passion about apples, your careful assessment of varieties, and your dedication to keeping the blog going! We can't thank you enough.

I picked up a few Pristine today. Very nice, fruit...

2025-07-31T19:48:53.978-04:00

I picked up a few Pristine today. Very nice, fruity and tangy. Thanks for the heads-up!

Playing host to this conversation is what keeps me...

2025-07-25T12:12:28.993-04:00

Playing host to this conversation is what keeps me going.

Your blog has become a great place for apple enthu...

2025-07-24T13:54:15.582-04:00

Your blog has become a great place for apple enthusiasts to gather and discuss. Nobody in my face-to-face life cares how my D'Arcy Spice is doing (which is very well, thank you).

It is my pleasure. Thanks for reading!

2025-07-24T10:52:55.633-04:00

It is my pleasure. Thanks for reading!

Thank you for your time!

2025-07-24T08:59:53.174-04:00

Thank you for your time!

thank you!

2025-07-23T21:48:01.659-04:00

thank you!

That change was the most recent I have made to my ...

2025-07-23T15:46:49.231-04:00

That change was the most recent I have made to my 3-star roster. This post is a report on the samples that changed my opinion that way.

Never mind. I see you did the promotion in the Feb...

2025-07-23T00:13:51.266-04:00

Never mind. I see you did the promotion in the February 2022 post, revising based on this (2021) review.

So when did Reinette Clochard get promoted from tw...

2025-07-23T00:08:07.798-04:00

So when did Reinette Clochard get promoted from two stars to three? I was just trying to find some post where you decided on three stars for this apple, but your 2017 stars post (posted in February 2018) only gives Reinette Clochard two stars. And the parenthetical link in paragraph 2 of this review mentions a (two-star) snack. I don't want to be a pain in the neck here--I was just trying to decide Reinette Clochard's place in my grafting schedule and was looking for some reasoning for why it got three stars.

'Beauty of Bath' is our first apple of the...

2025-07-18T06:12:23.078-04:00

'Beauty of Bath' is our first apple of the season and although the fruits at work are already reddening up - we've had a lot of warm, sunny weather recently - they're still a week or two from ripe. Not that the various birds, squirrels and human pests take any notice... there are picked and pecked specimens on the ground already. Fingers crossed they have a bit of flavour this year as well. They're not always the tastiest, but we can always hope.

Thanks! I feel as though Autumn Crisp is an exhibi...

2025-07-08T15:06:53.785-04:00

Thanks! I feel as though Autumn Crisp is an exhibit-A example of those kinds of apples.

I have a limb grafted to Autumn Crisp on a large b...

2025-07-08T14:21:52.464-04:00

I have a limb grafted to Autumn Crisp on a large bearing tree. It's been fruiting about six years. I'm in upstate South Carolina zone 7b. Down here it's an early apple ripening in early-mid July. The apples had poor flavor the first four bearing years. Last year I let them get overripe but they were really good. I just ate the first one this year and it's excellent without any weird aftertaste that I can detect.
Some apple varieties are like that, taking several bearing years before the fruit are up to par.

To be fair, pretty much every apple grown in the n...

2025-07-03T15:25:52.051-04:00

To be fair, pretty much every apple grown in the northern hemisphere will be subpar in July.

Your Twist was about 8 months old.

I was unimpressed with the Wild Twist Apples I pur...

2025-07-03T00:33:21.023-04:00

I was unimpressed with the Wild Twist Apples I purchased today. I love both honeycrisp and pink lady apples, but this hybrid did not impress me at all. I thought it had a good crunch but it tasted watery, overly sweet with a lack of complexity, and kind of reminded me of bosc pears with a less grainy texture. I'm not in love with pears, in general, so that wasn't a good point for me to note in this apple. I agree, if others like it, enjoy it.

There are some August apples that I like quite a l...

2025-06-23T17:28:18.034-04:00

There are some August apples that I like quite a lot (eg Gravenstein, Williams Pride) but in July I am grateful for that "this is local" quality.

We are missing southern hemisphere apples here, Ad...

2025-06-23T16:16:43.078-04:00

We are missing southern hemisphere apples here, Adam. Looking forward to those first summer apples, fresh off the tree - even though they will be only a shadow of the fall harvest.

Trivia: Author David Morrell was brainstorming nam...

2025-06-22T15:35:06.328-04:00

Trivia: Author David Morrell was brainstorming names for his "First Blood" protagonist when his wife brought home a bag of Rambo apples. The "strong sounding" name, as Morrell described it, stuck.

Sounds a lot like my favorite drying tree, soft, a...

2025-06-20T00:25:10.697-04:00

Sounds a lot like my favorite drying tree, soft, almost inedible acidic fresh, but lovely when dried. Doesn't sound quite as special as yours, though.

I admit I had not considered potential theological...

2025-06-17T17:53:45.025-04:00

I admit I had not considered potential theological implications.

yea... who mixed this up and "could it be ......

2025-06-17T15:39:16.448-04:00

yea... who mixed this up and "could it be ... Satan.?" no I attribute worser things to him... I digress... or possibly genetics have simarilized at times past...(?) I am interested in Salome as a listed as a parent of Secor with Jonathon , and interested in Secor as A possible alternative for what apple I knew as Edgewood variety "Secor" which I thought might have been chosen by a professor at Iowa St.Univ. many moons ago... the Edgewood I ate from Maquoketa ,IA was bland and green in comparison to the Edgewood Secor from Scattergood , a Qaukerboarding school at West Branch, IA. It was cut down by an ill- sent student in the late 1970's. I said ill- sent not innocent. ha.! The Edgewood, Secor had a tall oval shape and yellowish flesh with deepening red parts , very crisp and flavor ful. help me find please...

Reading these comments on YT sauce reminds me of m...

2025-06-17T13:37:13.285-04:00

Reading these comments on YT sauce reminds me of my Grandmother’s tree, only one and would ripen as I recall in early July just north of Seattle. Her sauce was awesome and every once in a while she would pick them early for a lime green colored tart sauce. As a kid I couldn’t appreciate it but it’s they one I crave now at 62!

Its beautiful view

2025-06-12T09:35:40.094-04:00

Its beautiful view

Sounds like you should patent and develop that roo...

2025-06-03T22:16:24.219-04:00

Sounds like you should patent and develop that rootstock!

That makes it sound like it would be a good drying...

2025-06-03T20:57:58.199-04:00

That makes it sound like it would be a good drying apple. Golden Harvey tends to turn rubbery and concentrated after a few months in the fridge, but it is not exciting when dried. Best dryer I have come across was an unnamed rootstock that tasted terrible when fresh. Utterly sensational when dried, great tang, complexity and sugars.
From Sutton's Orchard in Stanthorpe, Australia- currently for sale, by the way.

"Golden Russet x Gold Rush" sounds inspi...

2025-05-29T11:24:25.480-04:00

"Golden Russet x Gold Rush" sounds inspired! I hope it pans out.

Oh, gosh, GoldRush. I forgot about GoldRush. Onto ...

2025-05-29T10:52:21.101-04:00

Oh, gosh, GoldRush. I forgot about GoldRush. Onto which tree am I going to graft a branch of GoldRush?

@skillcult- can you breed for cedar apple rust res...

2025-05-29T10:35:19.539-04:00

@skillcult- can you breed for cedar apple rust resistance where you are? Not sure if red cedars grow in CA? That's GR's achilles heel back East.

That rubbery trait is very cool. There are not a ...

2025-05-29T07:52:36.743-04:00

That rubbery trait is very cool. There are not a lot of apples that do it, but I've encountered a few others that do. I use Gold Rush a lot in breeding for the quality, keeping and disease resistance. It is also just a well behaved tree. I thinned mine yesterday and it has extremely heavy fruit set with most of the flowers ending up pollinated and setting fruitlets. I have not gotten any seedlings yet that seem to have its keeping ability and tendency to grow rubbery instead of soft or meally, but it is probably just a matter of time til one shows out. I've crossed it with some russets that have good keeping ability and similar texture, like Golden and Roxbury. Something good has to come of those seeds. Golden Russet x Gold Rush is especially promising for a very long keeping russet of very high and complex flavor. I have gotten good apples though and it seems to tend to throw good progeny. As a home orchard tree, it is hard to beat Gold Rush. As a sole tree, it is not great, because you don't get good apples until into winter basically. Not that they are inedible off the tree, but not very exciting. Even here as someone that grows and collects super late hanging apple I can eat off the tree in winter, I have use for it as something that can be stashed and dipped into once that is all over into February and beyond.

Currently munching on one of these apples and as s...

2025-05-25T02:10:47.340-04:00

Currently munching on one of these apples and as someone who loves apples I must admit this one is climbing towards the top of my list! It's crisp, juicy, at little tart, balanced by sweet, and overall delicious! Super delighted I gave them a try!!!

Gorgeous

2025-05-20T14:01:23.651-04:00

Gorgeous

I guess I'm looking for an American golden pip...

2025-05-16T13:58:17.502-04:00

I guess I'm looking for an American golden pippen that may have been also called a pound royal. It's supposed to be different than an English golden pippen. I'm trying to find where I can get American golden pippen for grafting or as a grafted tree. Any help would be appreciated

Thank you! I am always glad of the chance to corre...

2025-04-26T15:17:18.112-04:00

Thank you! I am always glad of the chance to correct an error, and even more pleased to hear when one of these old and very good varieties is still appreciated (and available for cultivation!).

For future reference (in the year 2025 here), Mapl...

2025-04-26T15:10:59.744-04:00

For future reference (in the year 2025 here), Maple Valley Orchards in Wisconsin has this and some other MI varieties scionwood. (also that was 1874 not 1774 when the MPS published that account [above])!

The watercolor certainly could be Calville (as not...

2025-04-22T14:11:27.391-04:00

The watercolor certainly could be Calville (as noted). The "Coville" (or is it Colville?) apple from 2009 was not at all like Calville.

Possibly, the anonymous reader is referring to Waf...

2025-04-22T10:24:58.344-04:00

Possibly, the anonymous reader is referring to Wafler Nursery of Wolcott.

Could it be Calville Blanc d'Hiver? There'...

2025-04-22T05:29:26.599-04:00

Could it be Calville Blanc d'Hiver? There's no mention of a Colville in the UK National Apple Register apart from as a synonym.

Waflers in Wolcott NY

2025-04-21T19:53:24.541-04:00

Waflers in Wolcott NY

I have found several references to apples that are...

2025-04-21T08:13:47.735-04:00

I have found several references to apples that are called Kalvill (in Swedish), some with French origine and some with German/Polish.

I've shared my impressions about that. What do...

2025-04-20T17:14:37.026-04:00

I've shared my impressions about that. What do others think?

Apple growers love trying to be clever with the ne...

2025-04-20T16:40:55.415-04:00

Apple growers love trying to be clever with the new variety naming! I was wondering what about the texture is particularly noteworthy and unusual?

Rader Family Farms in Normal, IL, will be selling ...

2025-04-15T18:26:23.518-04:00

Rader Family Farms in Normal, IL, will be selling them in the fall.

Just tried a wild twist and was pretty disappointe...

2025-04-15T14:41:56.045-04:00

Just tried a wild twist and was pretty disappointed. To me it had a kinda sweet musty taste, but looked good.

As @Sparcher says. I also like Opal a good deal.

2025-03-31T14:57:39.246-04:00

As @Sparcher says. I also like Opal a good deal.

IMHO, amongst modern Czech apples, there're in...

2025-03-31T13:51:07.868-04:00

IMHO, amongst modern Czech apples, there're indeed some decent ones.

Worth seeking indeed!

2025-03-31T12:24:50.069-04:00

Worth seeking indeed!

That sounds great! Solid choices. Small orchards r...

2025-03-31T12:24:15.594-04:00

That sounds great! Solid choices. Small orchards rock!

Having a local orchard that grows crimson Topaz, I...

2025-03-31T10:31:08.906-04:00

Having a local orchard that grows crimson Topaz, I can share that it's an excellent eater! Ripe here in mid-to-late October, it's a flavor bomb for the taste buds, Super crisp and juicy, it's a great blend of sweet, tangy, tart, and as someone said previously - "fizzy" and tingly/spicy on the palate. I like Honeycrisp - but the enticing blend of taste notes of Crimson Topaz tops Honeycrisp for me. Lots more than just "sweet." Super apple to add in sauce!

A group of friends held a scion exchange here in c...

2025-03-31T08:58:58.441-04:00

A group of friends held a scion exchange here in central Mass just over a week ago. A really interesting variety of apple scions -- Maine and Massachusetts heirlooms, (hard) cider varieties, and apples that store well through the winter. I'm looking forward to grafting in Hunt Russet, Blushing Golden and more.

They have not picked some of the crop from the tre...

2025-03-28T18:31:48.175-04:00

They have not picked some of the crop from the trees planted in Hawkes Bay N.Z. for 2yrs now so clearly there is resistance to the high cost of these often store sick apples.

We have a rather neglected Apple tree where I work...

2025-03-24T15:36:58.137-04:00

We have a rather neglected Apple tree where I work and I’m pretty sure it’s Almata. Before I pruned it in the winter of ‘23/24 the apples were beautiful but very small and tended to fall easily, bouncing down the road like cricket balls. However last summers apples were much better, bigger, juicier and sweeter but with a tartness that reminded me of pomegranate. I’ve grafted scions from this old tree in the hope of having this beauty in my own garden.

Oh, of course! Thanks, fixed. Funny how an error...

2025-03-17T11:43:27.808-04:00

Oh, of course!

Thanks, fixed.

Funny how an error like that can go uncaught for years.

My wife loves these apples. She gets them sometime...

2025-03-15T20:50:50.792-04:00

My wife loves these apples. She gets them sometimes at Aldi, when available. Are my eyes not working, because in Your sample photo, I see a longitude line(north-south) not latitude?

i see a

Great minds surely think alike.

2025-03-14T21:43:02.003-04:00

Great minds surely think alike.

Thanks for agreeing me

2025-03-14T19:15:13.069-04:00

Thanks for agreeing me

Thank you for sharing those memories! Do you remem...

2025-03-14T11:36:18.142-04:00

Thank you for sharing those memories! Do you remember what your Sheepnose looked like? I think they must have ben a different variety than this one.

Around here, the Transparents ripen around August 1.

The "sheep nose" apple from mymgrandfath...

2025-03-14T10:10:28.951-04:00

The "sheep nose" apple from mymgrandfather's farm in southwestern Virginia ripened early, not late. They were generally gone by the time we visited in July. His orchard also had three "Virginia Beauties" which ripened late and not ripe by the time we returned home for school. Grandmas favorite "fry apple" was from what she called a "transparent". There were other trees in the orchard, but I don't remember their names. I do recall that grandfather said not to feed them to the pigs.

It’s interesting how much apples change when picke...

2025-03-13T03:38:41.954-04:00

It’s interesting how much apples change when picked early—losing their true flavor just for better storage. A fully ripe Golden Delicious must be amazing! Also, I spotted that sneaky Granny Smith in there. 😆

Just like how fruit ripens best in its own time, some things are best experienced fully—like when you read https://suraheyaseen.com with reflection.

Too bad! As you can tell, I liked this one a lot. ...

2025-03-09T12:58:41.300-04:00

Too bad! As you can tell, I liked this one a lot.

So many new varieties are just "variations in the key of Honeycrisp."

It is not the apple trademarked as Scruffy®

2025-03-08T15:24:42.484-05:00

It is not the apple trademarked as Scruffy®

I seen these at the orchard but they weren’t ripe ...

2025-03-07T23:02:05.655-05:00

I seen these at the orchard but they weren’t ripe yet. Anything with Sweet16 in it is good. Gotta try it!

Where you from? Georgetown Kentucky orchard has th...

2025-03-07T22:31:45.430-05:00

Where you from? Georgetown Kentucky orchard has these. Don’t know about shipping though.

These are my new favorite. I got a peck of these f...

2025-03-07T22:13:01.280-05:00

These are my new favorite. I got a peck of these from a Upick orchard in Kentucky last September. You can definitely taste both Goldrush and Sweet16 in there for sure. Very complex, great texture and juice. I got no floral notes as you described, but did get mostly a citrus zing with that subtle Sweet16 thing yet balanced honeyed melon back end. These were gone within a week in our household. Wish we would’ve gotten a half bushel! Sweet Zinger will have you saying “sweet baby Jesus these are tasty!” Good genetics on both sides. Solid ** on Adam’s scale.

It would be great if this got commercialized. Leav...

2025-03-07T21:37:33.579-05:00

It would be great if this got commercialized. Leave it to the folks who came up with "Ludacrisp" to create a brand based on a rough nontraditional appearance!

I think this may be what MAIA calls “Scruffy” now....

2025-03-07T21:09:00.752-05:00

I think this may be what MAIA calls “Scruffy” now.

I got some incredibly good ones last November (202...

2025-03-07T20:53:20.441-05:00

I got some incredibly good ones last November (2023) from Fresh Thyme market. They were a solid ** on Adam’s scale. We bought a dozen and we’re gone in 4 days. Sadly, we checked numerous grocery stores in 2024 but nobody had any this year. Must have been a bad harvest this year. I’ll be on the hunt this fall hot and heavy for these bad boys… Once they are on the shelf you better get them all while you can because they go fast! Those things get the juices flowing and get you chasing after the next bite! I saved seeds just for the red fleshed genetics by chance coming through the next generation. We shall find out in 5-10 years. I started my own breeding project Thanks to Steven Edholm at Skillcult (dude is a locked in mad scientist/innovator. :)

Different genetic markers coming through, just lik...

2025-03-07T19:53:34.569-05:00

Different genetic markers coming through, just like human siblings can favor each other but look different.

I have heard this about the redder Honeycrisp vari...

2025-02-27T23:37:05.780-05:00

I have heard this about the redder Honeycrisp variants.

Hard to know if poorer eating quality is really bred in the bone, or because they can be (and thus are) picked too soon, or another reason.

I love your commentary on the red sports and your ...

2025-02-27T22:18:07.561-05:00

I love your commentary on the red sports and your essay about how the Red Delicious apple was destroyed. In mid-December, I stopped by an orchard in southern MN to pick up some Evercrisp apples (for my children, who like sweet apples) and Ludacrisp (for me and my wife, who prefer apples with a more balanced flavor), both of which are good winter storage apples. In the course of my conversation with the orchardist, he mentioned that he had just purchased a few trees of the new red sport of Evercrisp to try it out, but he was hesitant to plant many of the new Evercrisp sport until he got a chance to taste the apples. He explained that none of the red sports of Honeycrisp tasted as good as the original Honeycrisp, at least when grown on his land. I personally haven't done any comparison tasting of the original Honeycrisp versus the red Honeycrisp sports, but it sounds a lot like the Red Delicious story.

Is it possible to buy "Papierowka" littl...

2025-02-24T14:09:07.236-05:00

Is it possible to buy "Papierowka" little tree in the US online with shipping to Tennessee?

Mine are a little past prime but still good. Wonde...

2025-02-18T10:09:59.409-05:00

Mine are a little past prime but still good. Wonderful cherry note this year that I'd never noticed before.

I just pulled a GoldRush and a Blushing Golden out...

2025-02-17T15:47:25.915-05:00

I just pulled a GoldRush and a Blushing Golden out of storage. The Blushing G isn't wrinkled, while the GoldRush is -- but both taste great and are still firm. I need to check my Arkansas Blacks

My Blacks, and GoldRush, are really the only local...

2025-02-15T13:17:22.073-05:00

My Blacks, and GoldRush, are really the only local apples I've got left that are any good right now (mid Feb.). A few other leftovers are still good for cooking, but not so much for eating out of hand.

I’m in CT. Got my AR Blacks as drops/gleanings fro...

2025-02-15T12:33:12.295-05:00

I’m in CT. Got my AR Blacks as drops/gleanings from a distillery in western NY (Catskills) in late Nov. They’ve just been sitting in the cloth bags I gathered them in, mixed with some REALLY long-lasting yellow variety, in the back pantry (unheated)
FINALLY getting to making applesauce. They are in very good condition! Taste wonderful. Some have deteriorated past use, but most are fine. Plan to plant one here in a few weeks! Really beautiful apples! Feb. 25 2025

Well I would love to try those Whitneys someday. E...

2025-02-12T15:35:28.326-05:00

Well I would love to try those Whitneys someday. Early, you say? That strikes me as niche of opportunity: I do not know of any decent early crabs.

Hi Adam, Great website! Reading about the flavor...

2025-02-10T18:26:29.895-05:00

Hi Adam,
Great website! Reading about the flavors of apples in winter makes spring seem closer! Also, I have an apple you may wish to add to your taste tests. Whitney Crab Apple; had my first small crop last year and they are delicious; very small ( 4 bites?) crisp, fresh taste, sweet tart rather than tart, flavor rather like sparkling non alcoholic apple cider, and altogether delightful. Some say due to taste variants there are two types with the same name , one tasting a lot better? If so, this is the good one,( bought from trees of antiquity as a sapling). This is an early crab apple, and my new favorite to eat straight off the tree. I would love to read your assessment of it. Happy Eating! Mimi

> Do not neglect the stem well, which can trap ...

2025-02-10T01:33:40.647-05:00

> Do not neglect the stem well, which can trap dirt and pesticides.

BTW, sometimes some bugs try to overwinter there (or on the opposite side, inside the calyx).

Hm well I hope that good things will come to those...

2025-02-09T18:20:44.127-05:00

Hm well I hope that good things will come to those who wait!

Nine years and almost 3 months after my original c...

2025-02-08T22:52:26.356-05:00

Nine years and almost 3 months after my original comment, I can report that D'Arcy Spice is indeed a very slow grower. I got one from Trees of Antiquity last winter along with a bunch of other apples. Ashmead's Kernal flexed its triploid muscles and topped 7 feet, as did Esopus Spitzenburg. But D'Arcy barely made a foot of new growth from the original 3 foot whip.

After years of drought, I found some Braeburns to ...

2025-02-08T22:46:34.399-05:00

After years of drought, I found some Braeburns to taste! Country Aire Market in Port Angeles, WA had some organic Braeburns in the store Thursday, and I grabbed 6 or 7 well-reddened ones. The first I tried was a bit over, and soft, but the one I had today was as good as I've ever had.

I thought I had commented on this apple before, bu...

2025-02-08T21:48:01.327-05:00

I thought I had commented on this apple before, but I don't see my comment, so maybe I didn't! Anyway, I am with Adam on this variety--nothing memorable the times I've tasted it.

Thank you! I do not grow apples (or live in a your...

2025-02-04T10:44:24.172-05:00

Thank you! I do not grow apples (or live in a your part of the world), so the information about growing Boskoop, and also about what they might be like in sunnier climes, is especially interesting and useful.

Planted this in Sebastopol California seven or eig...

2025-02-04T02:20:13.449-05:00

Planted this in Sebastopol California seven or eight years ago. Tree grew well and produced steady crops of quite large apples. Excellent snappy texture for crisp eating and each slice tasted as if it been soaked in lemonade. We don’t cook much so we never cooked with it but it was a hit as a fresh eating apple. Quite vigorous. One note, if you are in an area with warm damp summers, this cultivar came down with Apple scab fungus worse than any other tree we’ve got. I thought it was gonna kill it one year. It did come back but if you plant it, be sure and spray it with lime sulfur or some such the correct time of the year to protect it.

Hi all, My two cents. I begin buying apple trees a...

2025-02-04T02:16:19.178-05:00

Hi all,
My two cents. I begin buying apple trees about 20 years ago from Raintree catalog. I thought I would try everything I had heard was interesting and among my choices was Belle.
We put it in and it grew quite well and lo and behold in about five years or maybe six it was putting out a huge crop of giant crisp apples. The only way I can describe the flavor is they tasted like they were soaked in lemon juice or maybe lemonade because they’re pretty sweet. Wonderful crisp texture, and since I don’t bake we ate them fresh. We thought they were great. The one downside, we are in Sebastopol a famous Apple area but also famous for summer fog. This tree got Apple scab fungus worse than any other tree we had. I thought at one point it had killed the Tree. Black spots all over every Apple and the leaves covered with black spots. We were clear on the disease because it is well known in this area. Not fireblight or something like that and in fact the tree survived. I would suggest it’s a great one to grow, but be aware if you have warmth and moisture in the summer it should be sprayed with something like lime sulfur to kill the fungus. It’s probably a terrific cooking Apple. That lemonade taste would really show up

Very nice

2025-02-02T07:15:29.563-05:00

Very nice

That is. Let me quote some info from that cumberso...

2025-02-02T05:10:28.517-05:00

That is. Let me quote some info from that cumbersome table...
* Supposed offspring: Delicious (1880)
* Supposed parent: Winesap (1804)
* Number of Mendelian errors: 6 (low)
* Orientation of the supposed parent-offspring relation: date-based

Sorry to demonstrate my ignorance, but it's no...

2025-02-01T22:56:46.170-05:00

Sorry to demonstrate my ignorance, but it's not clear to me that the table shows that. It seems to be a part of a more complex finding than that.

However, Winesap was likely present in Iowa in the lat 19th century.

P.S. Well, according to the same French study (202...

2025-02-01T22:32:16.821-05:00

P.S. Well, according to the same French study (2020; see table: S5)...
Apparently, Hawkeye/Delicious is a child of Winesap.

Best tasting apple!

2025-01-31T23:45:34.531-05:00

Best tasting apple!

Muy interesante.

2025-01-31T01:25:57.901-05:00

Muy interesante.

P.S. > Duchess of Oldenberg was imported from R...

2025-01-30T19:17:22.825-05:00

P.S.
> Duchess of Oldenberg was imported from Russia...
Chances are that at first it had been exported from Persia into Russia.

Love that this post is still active and the blog s...

2025-01-29T20:51:48.958-05:00

Love that this post is still active and the blog still running! I’ve recently also become interested the Etter apples. I picked up Wickson, Crimson Gold and Vixen this year from Trees of Antiquity. Will be planting all three this year to compare, but also have been enjoying the Cuyama “whatever they are” apples. Loving the dialogue!

Sometimes, plastic net bags are also used (at leas...

2025-01-29T06:28:09.764-05:00

Sometimes, plastic net bags are also used (at least, here in Ukraine).

Just for reference, those cultivar names are reall...

2025-01-29T05:25:51.373-05:00

Just for reference, those cultivar names are really confusing:
1) (this one): Duchess of Oldenburg (NFC) / Borowitsky & Charlamoff (GRIN);
2) (unrelated one): Geheimrat Doktor Oldenburg (NFC) / Oldenburg (GRIN).

P.P.S. Those cultivar names are really confusing (...

2025-01-29T05:22:22.798-05:00

P.P.S. Those cultivar names are really confusing (no wonder someone mixed it up trying to describe Pinova's pedigree):
1) (Pinova's ancestor): Geheimrat Doktor Oldenburg (NFC) / Oldenburg (GRIN);
2) (unrelated one): Duchess of Oldenburg (NFC) / Borowitsky & Charlamoff (GRIN).

Science continues to revise what had been accepted...

2025-01-28T10:51:16.534-05:00

Science continues to revise what had been accepted lore.

To be more specific: Zabergaurenette = King of the...

2025-01-28T06:36:37.200-05:00

To be more specific:
Zabergaurenette = King of the Pippins x Dutch Mignonne

P.S. Here comes the reconstructed heritage (accord...

2025-01-28T00:20:15.124-05:00

P.S. Here comes the reconstructed heritage (according to that French study (2020); see tables: S3, S6):
Pinova = Golden Delicious x (Geheimrat Doktor Oldenburg x Cox's Orange Pippin) = Golden Delicious x ((Alexander x Ananas Reinette) x Cox's Orange Pippin)
(Quite cool, indeed).

> Orange Pippin says this apple "tastes of...

2025-01-28T00:01:03.262-05:00

> Orange Pippin says this apple "tastes of nettles when straight from the tree," which raises the question: You eat nettles?

Unfortunately, that text is no longer at the site; probably, the original review was written by some hardcore vegan (yes, the common nettle is really edible!).

BTW, I've noticed the pictured apples look somewhat similar to russeted specimens of Belle de Boskoop. Curiously, they are both triploid and actually share some old cultivar called Dutch Mignonne as a parent (according to that research (2022)).

I wish there were more Etter varieties out here. I...

2025-01-27T22:58:32.587-05:00

I wish there were more Etter varieties out here. I have become convinced that this Crimson Gold was the other one.

The proverbial apples-to-strawberries comparison!

2025-01-27T22:56:46.195-05:00

The proverbial apples-to-strawberries comparison!

Out here they are something I look for every Augus...

2025-01-27T22:52:23.032-05:00

Out here they are something I look for every August.

Gravenstein apples Well, we live in Sebastopol the...

2025-01-27T22:49:50.381-05:00

Gravenstein apples
Well, we live in Sebastopol the absolute heart of Gravenstein worship. And I will say this, each to his own, but I just don’t get it. They’re OK for fresh eating right off the tree within a very narrow two week window. Outside of that they quickly turn Mushy and mealy. They aren’t particularly dramatic in their flavor. Kind of mild, medium sweetness medium acid. Not bad, but not truly memorable like some of the other apples in this blog. I think they’re popular in this area because of a certain local pride, and because of the unusual name. In fact what they were grown for around here was absolutely not fresh eating. It was for apple juice And applesauce. Apple juice not apple cider, not enough character for the latter. The testimony to that truth is all the abandoned and or repurposed apple processing plants in the area.

From my personal experience... * Sometimes there&#...

2025-01-27T21:11:59.015-05:00

From my personal experience...
* Sometimes there's even a taste difference between apples picked from different branches of the same tree... and that's how breeders find new sports :-)
* No, the normal use of pesticide sprays doesn't affect fruit taste;
by normal usage, I mean:
1) recommended dosage that doesn't cause chemical burns;
2) fruit should be harvested only after expiration of the recommended post-treatment waiting period.

I do agree with Adam: the post-harvest handling, treatment & storage routines affect the fruit qualities substantially.
* Some growers pick significantly underripe apples (to prolong storage times), which results in rather bland tastes.
* Even simpler storage terms and conditions (time, temperature, atmosphere) do affect the tastes.
* Needless to say there's a lot of artificial treatments to prolong "freshness" and prevent spoiling: waxes, calcium nitrate, 1-MCP etc.

If you want the best-tasting apples, perhaps you should find a supplier that picks apples at the right time and doesn't use any chemical post-harvest storage prolongation treatment. Small to medium-scale farms & orchards, I suppose.

In any case, when apples grow, some dust falls on them from the air...
If it looks dirty, it's better to wash it carefully (and when it's artificially waxed, probably it's better to get rid of the peel altogether).
BTW, when the apple is rotten, it doesn't matter whether it was "organic" or "non-organic"...

In case the embedded link did not work in the prev...

2025-01-27T19:40:19.979-05:00

In case the embedded link did not work in the previous post: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/strawberrychat/episodes/Strawberry-Production-in-the-Northeast--Interview-with-Dr--Marvin-Pritts--Episode-17--May-1-2024-e2j6if1

Here's a link to a recent 'strawberry chat...

2025-01-27T19:39:16.800-05:00

Here's a link to a recent 'strawberry chat' with guest Marvin Pritts of Cornell. If you go to 43:20 of the presentation, Dr Pritts discusses quality differences in strawberries between different cultural programs - organic, conventional, and variations. I know it's not apples, but this scientific study reflects my experience with tree fruit.

Hi guys, I am looking for the Etter Crimson Gold &...

2025-01-27T19:27:21.469-05:00

Hi guys, I am looking for the Etter Crimson Gold & Greenmantle isn't selling any apple trees as they have retired from bench grafts of apples. Greenmantle did send me to Trees of Antiquity in Calif. who sells most of their Etter varieties. I have ordered & planted Katherin, Waltana, Amberoso, & Wickson. They were out of the Crimson Gold & I will try to re-order later this year. I will keep looking & crossing my fingers, Gary

You know, that is a really good question, probably...

2025-01-27T17:57:23.113-05:00

You know, that is a really good question, probably deserving a full blog post.

Apples of all kind are handled differently, from harvest to storage to retail point of sale.

Any differences in taste and texture that I have experienced (but not tracked) are minor, and I assume they have to to with handling rather than use of chemicals.

An organic apple is not likely to have an artificial wax applied. These waxes can have a bitter disagreeable taste. They also help to preserve the fruit quality, which I suppose would be a difference that is more pronounced the longer the fruit is off the tree.

So, it's complicated!

Is there a difference (taste-wise) between Organic...

2025-01-27T16:49:38.458-05:00

Is there a difference (taste-wise) between Organic and Non-Organic apples?

The August debut of Williams P is one of its many ...

2025-01-27T09:09:58.693-05:00

The August debut of Williams P is one of its many virtues.

Unfortunately, in my area, Kidd's O.R. isn'...

2025-01-27T03:19:48.713-05:00

Unfortunately, in my area, Kidd's O.R. isn't easier to find than Cox's O.P.

Not a big fan of Gala (an ordinary sweet dessert a...

2025-01-27T00:09:51.039-05:00

Not a big fan of Gala (an ordinary sweet dessert apple), but apparently it's one of the most popular commercial apples grown here in Ukraine (including for export).
* Ripe ones with red stripes on yellow background can be quite decent, aromatic ones.
* There are some deep red sports out there, e.g. Gala Schniga SchniCo red. Somewhat more crisp and balanced for my taste.
* Underripe, greenish ones are bland (with some astringency) and, IMHO, suitable only for cooking.

Well, my friends are tired of me raving about our ...

2025-01-26T22:07:37.829-05:00

Well, my friends are tired of me raving about our gold rush Apple trees. But they’re always asking if we have any left over that we could give them when October rolls around. These are bar none the best apples we have grown out of all 27 varieties in our little hobby Orchard. And we have some famous apples to compete with them. Honeycrisp, Golden delicious, Hudson‘s Golden, Belle de Boskoop,
Johnagold, Ashmead’s Kernal etc.
If you give someone a slice of six or seven different apples, when they reach Goldrush, they are sure to produce a comment. The shock of all that acid and all that sugar and that snappy crisp texture with a thin skin get the job done every time.
For the life of me I cannot figure out why this apple is not more popular. Perhaps it’s because it doesn’t look spectacular? Because of its somewhat smaller size? Who knows, the market continues to be mysterious. But if you’re all tempted, I would definitely put this one in your orchard. The whole reason for its existence is as a scab resistant variety produced by Purdue university.
Let’s hear it for the old school Commonwealth! In fact in our very scab prone area it is completely free of this terrible fungus disease and has also seemed to resist fire blight from a neighboring pear tree. It grows into a beautiful vase shape that is easy to prune and pick from on a semi dwarf root stock. It also keeps for many months as the other reviewers note.
we have heard that it makes a wonderful cider also. Good luck with your apples!

That is a challenging question. Perhaps Kidd's...

2025-01-26T21:57:54.639-05:00

That is a challenging question. Perhaps Kidd's Orange Red? A little.

Hi thank you for this great blog. Apples will save...

2025-01-26T21:56:56.026-05:00

Hi thank you for this great blog. Apples will save us!
Just a note on Williams pride. I bought this apple 10 or 11 years ago from Raintree nursery. We have a terrible problem out here in coastal Sonoma County with Apple scab, a fungus disease that comes with the fog. Purdue university developed a line of scab resistant apples. It was a noble and intense effort that lasted for years and they came up with I think nine or 10 varieties. Williams pride was their pick for an early disease-resistant Apple . We have a problem with scab and so that’s why I planted it. It grew beautifully into a spreading vase shape and produced abundant crops of apples. But I have to say the flavor was not particularly interesting or developed. It was Early bearing though, July for us. I believe that the problem was there was never enough heat in our Little Valley with early sunsets to bring the sugar up. I would be interested to hear what others think because other sources say it’s a good Apple particularly for such an early disease-resistant variety.
The best scab resistant Purdue Apple for us was Goldrush, by far. Fantastic flavor great keeping and disease free. I believe these apples also somewhat resist firelight.
Thanks again for your effort here with the blog!

I call 'em as I see 'em. On he other hand...

2025-01-26T21:56:04.781-05:00

I call 'em as I see 'em.

On he other hand, Hawkeye.

AR Black is not for everyone. As it happens I am ...

2025-01-26T21:54:09.019-05:00

AR Black is not for everyone.

As it happens I am eating mine NOW and this is probably peak. Getting some fabulous cherry flavors I'd never seen before. Still so, so dense: not, as I said, for everyone.

I grew one of these near the coast in Sonoma Count...

2025-01-26T21:48:35.926-05:00

I grew one of these near the coast in Sonoma County. The tree grew well and set good fruit every year but no one seemed to want to eat them.
Beautiful, great decorations, but compared to the other apples in our Orchard with 22 varieties it was the least favorite for fresh eating. I have to admit we never tested its famous storing qualities, and that may improve the flavor. But I have to agree, after that first disappointing bite, the astringent dryness sets in and eating the rest of the apple is somewhat of a chore.
In case you wonder, the number one popular Apple was Goldrush. Incredibly high acid and high sugar with a snappy crisp texture. Also immune to scab which is a huge problem here in the coastal fog belt.
They keep pretty well, not as well as granny Smith, and they are on the small side but well worth growing or eating if you find them.

Deep red colors help masking the bruises and other...

2025-01-26T20:12:09.918-05:00

Deep red colors help masking the bruises and other defects, indeed.

Red-fleshed russet—what an audacious idea! Just pi...

2025-01-26T19:36:19.761-05:00

Red-fleshed russet—what an audacious idea! Just picturing the visual contrast between peel and flesh.

I actually prefer Golden to Roxbury, all else equal, but they are very close.

Love to see the russet appreciation! I'm tryin...

2025-01-26T19:09:41.290-05:00

Love to see the russet appreciation! I'm trying to breed some red fleshed russets up here in Niagara Ontario.. tasted my first Roxbury Russet here this year and it might've been better than our golden russets .. but I'm growing out a bunch of russet seeds and making as many directed crosses moving forward as possible! LETS GROW!

I feel validated by this post. Every single time...

2025-01-26T15:43:29.513-05:00

I feel validated by this post.

Every single time I’ve had one of these, it’s mushy, often brown, and somehow bitter.

A cardboard apple indeed.

> some wonderful new flavors courtesy of its ma...

2025-01-26T02:38:49.002-05:00

> some wonderful new flavors courtesy of its maternal grandparents, Cox's Orange Pippin and Duchess of Oldenberg

AFAIK, it descends from somewhat different "Oldenburg":
Pinova = Clivia x Golden Delicious = (Geheimrat Dr. Oldenburg x Cox's Orange Pippin) x Golden Delicious
(apparently, "(Privy Councillor) Dr." and "Duchess" are not the same)

P.S. Can you suggest somewhat similar-tasting, but a little bit more acidic?
(Actually, Pinova is one of the few interesting modern apple varieties I've learned from your blog. Thanks!)

IMHO, this article is a good example of how to han...

2025-01-26T00:06:43.793-05:00

IMHO, this article is a good example of how to handle the names of the sports:
just add the original cultivar name (in parentheses) to the title.

If you get a reply, I count on you to mediate...wh...

2025-01-25T18:10:46.511-05:00

If you get a reply, I count on you to mediate...what could go wrong?

That is generous, second @anonymous. Alas, anonymo...

2025-01-25T16:02:14.929-05:00

That is generous, second @anonymous. Alas, anonymous commenters won't be notified of replies, and it has gotten a lot harder to leave a comment in any other way!

Here's how to comment from your Google account and get notifications.

If anonymous that wishes Simirenko sees this pleas...

2025-01-25T13:36:12.775-05:00

If anonymous that wishes Simirenko sees this please reply and I'll make arrangements to send scion wood - I have it, altho I don't find it as compelling as this review.

Thank you! I regret not providing a complete Marxi...

2025-01-25T11:52:11.714-05:00

Thank you! I regret not providing a complete Marxist critique, but am pleased when people tell me they enjoy the blog.

Good morning! Alas, this isn't so much about ...

2025-01-23T23:44:52.028-05:00

Good morning!

Alas, this isn't so much about the constraints capitalism inflicts on apple choice - though I do agree, and find it interesting - but I wanted to contribute some more far-reaching feedback. My partner and I recently found your blog whilst poking about the internet for apple information and reading through it together has been a real delight. Thanks for all your years of work, and the joy it's brought us!

As a last resort for professional plant breeders, ...

2025-01-23T21:40:05.605-05:00

As a last resort for professional plant breeders, some scions of Reinette Simirenko (PI 483257) can be ordered from USDA NPGS.

Thanks for valuable info! Could you please add som...

2025-01-23T21:30:57.089-05:00

Thanks for valuable info!
Could you please add something like "(pre-Red Delicious)" to the title of this article?
(IMHO, it would be easier to find this article in the index...)

That's interesting. IMHO, somewhere in the cur...

2025-01-23T21:27:54.995-05:00

That's interesting.
IMHO, somewhere in the current blog post, you need to put a hyperlink to that Hawkeye article, to increase visibility ;-)

> always thought that the name "Papierówka...

2025-01-23T21:11:22.354-05:00

> always thought that the name "Papierówka" was related to the thin "transparent" skin

Good idea!
Actually, I'm not a big fan of this apple and don't know for sure what kind of legendary paper resemblance is meant by that name :-)

Nevertheless, apparently it's one of the most important early varieties of European heritage;
according to a French study (2020):
White Transparent = Aspa x Saint Germain

From my supermarket apple experience, the ones wit...

2025-01-21T23:57:04.351-05:00

From my supermarket apple experience, the ones with a blush (faint pink, usually) are the best-tasting (balanced) ones.
Evenly colored (plain green, but turning yellow after a while) GD's are rather bland, IMHO.

And that French study (2020) confirms Golden Delic...

2025-01-21T23:49:39.841-05:00

And that French study (2020) confirms Golden Delicious as offspring of Grimes Golden!

P.S. > BTW, it's an offspring of Esopus Spi...

2025-01-21T23:40:54.875-05:00

P.S.
> BTW, it's an offspring of Esopus Spitzenburg.
Confirmed by that French study (2020).

They originated in Canada not New England

2025-01-21T02:05:38.150-05:00

They originated in Canada not New England

Zestar is really annoying in that it flowers ridic...

2025-01-20T23:33:03.710-05:00

Zestar is really annoying in that it flowers ridiculously early in my yard. I still haven't had a chance to try a single apple, despite the other two grafts on the tree having fruited for 3 years. Zestar blooms its head off and then doesn't set fruit. I finally tried my hand at grafting (aiming at more early bloom varieties) to accommodate the rogue thing. Lo and behold, the grafts took, so here is hoping that maybe this year or next I'll finally get a chance to try it :-)
Glad to see an independent opinion that it's worth the hassle!

I have always thought that the name "Papierów...

2025-01-20T23:10:31.321-05:00

I have always thought that the name "Papierówka" was related to the thin "transparent" skin ;-) But it is also true that they turn dry when overripe. An old favorite nonetheless!

Indeed, it's a quite curious modern British ap...

2025-01-20T20:12:37.403-05:00

Indeed, it's a quite curious modern British apple cultivar.
Modern variety, but bearing classically styled russet apples.
Bred by H. Ermen, who was a proponent of own-root fruit trees.

Something like that: Herefordshire Russet is a mod...

2025-01-20T19:52:04.330-05:00

Something like that: Herefordshire Russet is a modern British variety (and somewhat rare one).

Which one?

2025-01-19T18:23:47.064-05:00

Which one?

Well it may be an outlier, but the Herefordshire R...

2025-01-19T15:45:57.895-05:00

Well it may be an outlier, but the Herefordshire Russet is pretty recent.

Reminds me of a kids book

2025-01-19T08:49:48.657-05:00

Reminds me of a kids book

As far as I understand it, the modern apple breede...

2025-01-18T21:26:49.882-05:00

As far as I understand it, the modern apple breeders have used to perceive the russeting as a bug, not a feature...
Hence, the new sports of heritage apples usually get redder and smoother.
(Meanwhile, the pears look somewhat more conservative, for unknown reasons).

Yes exactly! Take some of the marketing mojo that ...

2025-01-18T18:09:29.358-05:00

Yes exactly! Take some of the marketing mojo that came up with "Sweet Cheeks," (rebranded as "Wild Twist" for perhaps obvious reasons) and similar nonsense and pitch those suave, suede, sophisticated russets.

Every year when I go to the farmers markets, it...

2025-01-18T17:22:41.833-05:00

Every year when I go to the farmers markets, it's the russeted apples I'm looking for. Golden Russets are good, and my favorites are Ashmead's Kernel and Hudson Golden Gem. I like Bosc pears, too, so that comment was interesting.
I suspect that what we need to get russeted apples into stores is a marketing organization for them.

I think this interesting take is largely true, but...

2025-01-18T14:43:31.843-05:00

I think this interesting take is largely true, but there are some exceptions. When I was growing up there were no clementines or pluots, for instance. For apples, there has recently been tiny Rockit and a slew of red-fleshed apples.

Still most of the new varieties are a parade of minor variations from Fuji and Honeycrisp.

I had a friend who did a stint in management consu...

2025-01-18T10:37:24.954-05:00

I had a friend who did a stint in management consulting. He worked in packaged foods. The big lesson, he told me, was that by far the easiest way to get a sales lift was novelty, thus the endless stream of weird flavors of Cheetos. And yet somehow that basic lesson doesn’t get applied to fruit.

I'll bet those 12 varieties are mostly pretty ...

2025-01-17T12:37:46.207-05:00

I'll bet those 12 varieties are mostly pretty similar, too!

I was in the Okanagan for a few days this fall, ri...

2025-01-17T12:17:03.268-05:00

I was in the Okanagan for a few days this fall, right at the time when the farmers markets were shutting down for the season. They were selling organic apples, all varieties, for just about 50 cents/lb. I bought a few Aurora apples that were left in one of the bins. I was interested because of their deep, rich, yellow hue, and I had not heard of them before. I'm always trying new kinds of fruits and vegetables, and I'm glad I did. They were the best tasting apples that I have bought in Canada. On the way home I stopped by again and bought another 10 lbs, which was pretty much all that was left at that point! This fall I'm making another trip for about 30 lbs - those Auroras make fantastic apple sauce, too. All we get in our grocery stores are the same 12 varieties. It's become incredibly boring, and expensive!

(And Simirenko is actually from Cherkasy region, b...

2025-01-17T06:26:01.645-05:00

(And Simirenko is actually from Cherkasy region, but anyways...)

Huh, that's cool! (I'm from Vinnytsia).

2025-01-17T06:19:22.591-05:00

Huh, that's cool! (I'm from Vinnytsia).

Where in Ukraine? My father's family came from...

2025-01-16T22:53:03.180-05:00

Where in Ukraine? My father's family came from a town near Ivano-Frankivsk.

Completely unrelateds welcome! I like Pink Lady to...

2025-01-16T16:29:02.087-05:00

Completely unrelateds welcome! I like Pink Lady too, one of the better choices available in markets in the off season.

These things are inevitably mediated by taste. I t...

2025-01-15T20:41:35.140-05:00

These things are inevitably mediated by taste. I think my readers understand, for instance, that what I call well balanced is going to be a good bit less sweet than a Honeycrisp.

I suppose it would be possible to cook up some scientific metric of PH vs Brix, but that is beyond me and in any case I'm mostly about qualitative description and assessment.

Well that sounds great, all the best for your tree...

2025-01-15T20:36:41.577-05:00

Well that sounds great, all the best for your trees!

Granny is a very different apple.

2025-01-15T20:35:57.117-05:00

Granny is a very different apple.

And here are some nice apple photos from the fruit...

2025-01-15T15:24:31.245-05:00

And here are some nice apple photos from the fruitID project...
* Nonpareil
* Margil
* Ribston Pippin
* Rosemary Russet
* Cox's Orange Pippin

> it certainly can be a bit acid-forward, fresh...

2025-01-14T09:52:22.289-05:00

> it certainly can be a bit acid-forward, fresh...

But not like Granny Smith, I presume? :-)

Greetings Adam. I have Wickson growing out now. An...

2025-01-13T19:45:57.144-05:00

Greetings Adam. I have Wickson growing out now. And not only will have Little Rosybloom; but also Etter's applecrab that falls between Wickson and Crimson Gold/Little Rosybloom in size. Known as Vixen. I feel Etter recognized while Wickson has outstanding flavor; it's tender skin damaged even by rain would render it commercially useless. And Vixen and Little Rosybloom were attempts to correct the fragile skin issue. I will put some Vixen on P.2 rootstock and should have good crops in 2-3 years. I will be sure to send you some!

In my experience, it certainly can be a bit acid-f...

2025-01-13T11:14:40.293-05:00

In my experience, it certainly can be a bit acid-forward, fresh and off the tree. But not always.

Anonymous wrote: > We already have a Belle de B...

2025-01-13T10:51:30.364-05:00

Anonymous wrote:
> We already have a Belle de Boskoop and a Reine de Reinettes (aka Goldparmäne) for cooking.

I don't remember if I've ever tasted it, so I wonder whether Reine des Reinettes / Goldparmäne / King of the Pippins is really that acidic, or it's just modern tastes? :-)
(Is it actually closer to Belle de Boskoop, or maybe Reinette Simirenko?)

P.S. Anonymous wrote: > We already have a Bell...

2025-01-13T10:44:52.883-05:00

P.S.

Anonymous wrote:
> We already have a Belle de Boskoop and a Reine de Reinettes (aka Goldparmäne) for cooking.

I don't remember if I've ever tasted it, so I wonder whether Reine des Reinettes / Goldparmäne / King of the Pippins is really that acidic, or it's just modern tastes? :-)

Gloster 69 (= Glockenapfel x Red Delicious) is som...

2025-01-13T10:23:44.381-05:00

Gloster 69 (= Glockenapfel x Red Delicious) is somewhat more common today.
Haven't tasted the Glockenapfel, but Gloster seems to be more balanced to the dessert side.

It seems to be a fruitful combination.

2025-01-12T23:25:07.826-05:00

It seems to be a fruitful combination.

And now I know 3 specimens from the (Cox O.P. x Go...

2025-01-10T05:41:42.173-05:00

And now I know 3 specimens from the (Cox O.P. x Golden D.) hybrid offspring:
1) Rubinette (Rafzubin), from Switzerland;
2) Herefordshire Russet, from England;
3) Shampion (Sampion; originally: Šampion, meaning "Champion" in Czech), from Czechia.

(Though I've tasted only Shampion to date).

And now I know 3 specimens from the (Cox O.P. x Go...

2025-01-10T05:40:22.920-05:00

There's also a Ukrainian apple cultivar called...

2025-01-10T05:12:01.958-05:00

There's also a Ukrainian apple cultivar called Slava peremozhtsiam
(original orthography: Слава переможцям; Russian translation: Слава победителям; English translation: Glory to the Winners).
And it appears to be a full sibling of the Early McIntosh (Yellow Transparent x McIntosh).

Some USDA data, for curiosity:
* Early McIntosh
* Slava Pobeditelyam

Sometimes you can hear the seeds rattling from the...

2025-01-10T04:51:59.885-05:00

Sometimes you can hear the seeds rattling from the inside of Granny Smith, Gala, or even Florina.
But most often, I've heard it from Slava peremozhtsiam (Слава переможцям, a Ukrainian apple cultivar related to Early McIntosh).

Apparently, the rattle means there's a lot of relatively small seeds sitting loose in the seed chambers. Perhaps, it occurs mostly in ripe apples.

Well, that's New England! And New York, of cou...

2025-01-09T21:58:43.970-05:00

Well, that's New England! And New York, of course.

I can't see that I'd have started this blog if I lived in most other places.

Very interesting! Banana not an unusual taste for ...

2025-01-09T21:56:46.418-05:00

Very interesting! Banana not an unusual taste for apples, of course, but I did not find anything like that in my very limited experience. Do you think that might be something that emerges in storage?

You are very fortunate to live in an area where yo...

2025-01-09T19:58:53.268-05:00

You are very fortunate to live in an area where you can obtain such a diversity of locally produced apples! I lived in western New York for 7 years, and the diversity of apples that I could obtain in the fall was absolutely fantastic. One of favorite early-season apples was 'Sansa', which I see on your chart. Alas, I haven't had a Sansa apple since I left New York state almost 15 years ago. There are quite a few other excellent apples in your chart; I'd certainly enjoy going to your farmer's markets.

We get overwhelming banana notes. And a very s...

2025-01-09T16:01:05.836-05:00

We get overwhelming banana notes. And a very sweet apple. If it were lunchbox sizes I think kids would eat them up

Very nice and beautiful ❤️❤️❤️

2025-01-09T15:51:45.199-05:00

Very nice and beautiful ❤️❤️❤️

Warm greetings from Ukraine, the land of Reinette ...

2025-01-07T12:46:30.104-05:00

Warm greetings from Ukraine, the land of Reinette Simirenko! :-)

From time to time, you can come across some ~50 yr...

2025-01-05T09:56:22.657-05:00

From time to time, you can come across some ~50 yr old Jonathan apple trees in old orchards/garden plots, that what we've got now here in Ukraine...

And what you've got there in the USA, the land of Jonathan's origin, I would call it a small commercial scale of local importance, and that's cool :-)

From my side, perhaps I had never ever heard about...

2025-01-05T05:09:01.169-05:00

From my side, perhaps I had never ever heard about Cox's Orange Pippin, until stumbling upon your "***" list (thanks!);
apparently, nowadays Cox's is a very rare variety here in Ukraine (fortunately, there're some old nurseries still holding Cox's, Margil and other heritage varieties, but usually they're reluctant to sell anything "ancient", except some scions for grafting)...
but it's worth the quest, I hope ;-)

That is some interesting scholarship, thanks! I d...

2025-01-04T14:29:08.851-05:00

That is some interesting scholarship, thanks!

I don't believe I had ever heard of Margil until last year, when I was in England and the fellow who runs Orange Pippin suggested I might be interested to try Cox's parent. (Which I was.)

For my part, I really liked my experience with the...

2025-01-04T14:24:08.940-05:00

For my part, I really liked my experience with the original.

Most of the really big commercial orchards in the ...

2025-01-04T14:21:50.158-05:00

Most of the really big commercial orchards in the US are in the state of Washington, on the West Coast. They grow, process, and store most of the apples sold here, in large supermarket chains.

Locally, we are fortunate to have orchards of different sizes, and many grow Jonathan and other heritage varieties. These are often U-Picks and sell through local outlets.

Even very large growers here might have a some trees where they indulge their own interest in apple history and culture.

Let me share my worst "Red Delicious" ex...

2025-01-04T09:51:42.836-05:00

Let me share my worst "Red Delicious" experience to date.

It was bought from a supermarket just of curiosity. It was of medium size.
The skin was dark red. The flesh was white with some green tinge, low in juice. Although thick, the skin failed to protect the flesh from bruises.
The taste was awful: quite bland, neither sweet nor sour, but instead somewhat astringent (even bitter).
Perhaps, it could be better used as animal fodder :-)

BTW, currently, Ukrainian supermarkets mostly sell Red Delicious apples under somewhat incorrect "Red Chief" label (actually, it's the name of just another Red Delicious sport). Various sizes and different skin coloration patterns. Fortunately, some of them are quite edible :-)

Somewhat related positive experience: a RD apple (...

2025-01-04T09:23:58.160-05:00

Somewhat related positive experience:
a RD apple (average size, elongated; not deep red, but greenish, with red stripes), picked from a friend's tree;
after 1-2 weeks of storage at room temperature, it became highly fragrant (candy-like scent) and sweet (low in juice though).

* older Red Delicious (RD) trees: older RD sports,...

2025-01-04T09:14:47.319-05:00

* older Red Delicious (RD) trees: older RD sports, grafted on vigorous seedling rootstocks
* younger RD trees: newer RD sports, grafted on dwarfing clonal rootstocks

IMHO, the dwarfing rootstock could make apples a little bit bigger and sweeter, but couldn't make them flavorless;
i.e., once again, that's the "bad" RD sports making the negative taste difference.

P. S. Provided that Margil had been sometimes call...

2025-01-04T07:00:33.184-05:00

P. S. Provided that Margil had been sometimes called a Small Ribston, we can easily "fix" the old legend:
Cox's Orange Pippin is an offspring of the Small Ribston.

Adam, do you mean big orchards with large number o...

2025-01-04T06:35:25.313-05:00

Adam, do you mean big orchards with large number of Jonathan apple trees?

That's it: if they match, they are related; if...

2025-01-04T06:26:36.631-05:00

That's it:
if they match, they are related;
if they don't match (gene mismatches = "errors"), they're not related.

Similar in North America, though I would say it...

2025-01-03T12:29:06.070-05:00

Similar in North America, though I would say it's not hard to find at orchards, at least in my part of the country.

In the report, the authors use ME to rule things o...

2025-01-03T12:26:35.368-05:00

In the report, the authors use ME to rule things out when determining ancestry.

Apparently, I've found that report in Wikipedi...

2025-01-03T08:38:11.430-05:00

Apparently, I've found that report in Wikipedia.
And yes, it contains a vast amount of interesting data...

As far as I understand it, "Mendelian error" (ME) is an observable inheritance error (in some gene, in DNA, there's a mismatch between assumed parent and offspring):
it means either a wrong parenthood/child assumption (high ME numbers),
or a mutation (low ME numbers).
No wonder: nowadays, when you try to compare the genome of some 100-year-old cultivar with its 150-year definite parent one, probably you're actually comparing 2 mutants (sports).

An old variety, no longer in commercial production...

2025-01-03T08:07:34.063-05:00

An old variety, no longer in commercial production here in Ukraine, but still cherished by enthusiasts.

BTW, it's an offspring of Esopus Spitzenburg.

Thank you, Anonymous, and best wishes to you too!

2025-01-02T13:55:56.821-05:00

Thank you, Anonymous, and best wishes to you too!

Happy New Year. Thanks to you and the apple enthu...

2025-01-01T10:54:08.719-05:00

Happy New Year. Thanks to you and the apple enthusiasts who send you apples for so many great reviews this year

Then I would suggest adding "(Spitzenburgh)&q...

2024-12-31T05:13:50.462-05:00

Then I would suggest adding "(Spitzenburgh)" to the title, to aid search :-)

Thank you, Sparcher. I honestly can't say if I...

2024-12-30T20:34:37.903-05:00

Thank you, Sparcher. I honestly can't say if I am using the acceptable alternate, or if I just flubbed the spelling.

I have seen it both ways.

The orthography is slightly confusing: both GRIN a...

2024-12-30T20:01:38.185-05:00

The orthography is slightly confusing:
both GRIN and NFC list this one as "Esopus Spitzenburg"
(though "Esopus Spitzenberg" is an acceptable synonym, according to the NFC).

BTW, this Swiss apple, Rubinette (Rafzubin), also ...

2024-12-30T05:12:36.859-05:00

BTW, this Swiss apple, Rubinette (Rafzubin), also has a redder German sport called Rubinette Rosso (Rafzubex).

Nowadays, at least in the US, "improved"...

2024-12-28T11:28:08.179-05:00

Nowadays, at least in the US, "improved" often indicates a sport.

Based on my only tasting (which I was very fortunate to find!) I would say that some similarities in flavors are not hard to notice.

They do not look much alike, but it's a fascinating comparison to make..

In my opinion King David apples make the best appl...

2024-12-27T18:40:08.156-05:00

In my opinion King David apples make the best applesauce, hands down. Now, if I could only find a place in Pennsylvania that sold them.

James, thank you! I am flattered that you came by....

2024-12-26T15:20:40.311-05:00

James, thank you! I am flattered that you came by. This apple really is a piece of living history.

James from Raintree Nursery here. We actually just...

2024-12-26T10:45:32.413-05:00

James from Raintree Nursery here. We actually just had a full DNA profile done of our Jonny Appleseed tree, and confirmed that it is in fact the same DNA that came from John Chapman's tree. So people can sleep easy knowing it is the right one!

I would not have guessed that! Looks like a lot in...

2024-12-25T23:40:07.206-05:00

I would not have guessed that! Looks like a lot in that report, though I am not sure I have the technical chops to understand things like "Mendelian error."

Curiously, "Small Ribston" is one of the...

2024-12-25T17:57:07.936-05:00

Curiously, "Small Ribston" is one of the old synonyms for Margil (the newly discovered Ribston's "mother").

Common sense predates genetics, indeed :-)

BTW, it's fun that one of synonyms for Margil ...

2024-12-24T23:35:21.760-05:00

BTW, it's fun that one of synonyms for Margil is "Small Ribston".
And one of German synonyms for Cox is "Verbesserte Muskatrenette" = "improved nutmeg reinette", while Margil was known simply as "Muskatrenette" = "nutmeg reinette".

Apparently, someone had already noticed some similarities :-)

And now it turns to be an offspring of Margil (tog...

2024-12-24T23:30:57.479-05:00

And now it turns to be an offspring of Margil (together with Ribston Pippin as a partial sibling)...

BTW, it's fun that one of German synonyms for Cox is "Verbesserte Muskatrenette" = "improved nutmeg reinette", while Margil was known simply as "Muskatrenette" = "nutmeg reinette" (perhaps, someone had noticed some similarities).

According to a French study (2020): Braeburn = Red...

2024-12-24T21:42:45.901-05:00

According to a French study (2020):
Braeburn = Red Delicious x Sturmer Pippin

Goldrush is my pie apple. In February, March and M...

2024-12-21T18:52:03.742-05:00

Goldrush is my pie apple. In February, March and May.

Some apples are great one year, and horrible the n...

2024-12-21T17:31:34.958-05:00

Some apples are great one year, and horrible the next. This drought year is the first time I've gotten my husband to like a Pink Lady, for example.

I'm not normally one who gets "notes"...

2024-12-21T16:10:49.433-05:00

I'm not normally one who gets "notes" of anything, but this has distinct pineapple notes. Tastes like no other apple I've ever tried.

Tried Evercrisp. Little bland, compared to Ruby Ru...

2024-12-21T15:57:52.801-05:00

Tried Evercrisp. Little bland, compared to Ruby Rush or Goldrush. Juicy and crunchy, but where's the flavor? Not surprised to find Honeycrisp in its parentage...

The difference in skin condition is probably due t...

2024-12-19T13:29:46.368-05:00

The difference in skin condition is probably due the russeted one coming from an unsprayed orchard.
I grew up with mid-sized, russeted Boskoop in the shops; now I only see enormous, smooth-skinned ones.

They are super cute, and high-quality. And they ke...

2024-12-18T10:59:35.457-05:00

They are super cute, and high-quality. And they keep! But probably not going to fly for the Honeycrisp fan club.

It has not been very interesting as grown here in ...

2024-12-18T10:52:15.064-05:00

It has not been very interesting as grown here in sunny California, like so many other apples. I have seen this trait show up in a couple of seedlings though. So there is potential to make more of these star shaped apples through intentional breeding. The seedlings are not very good so far, but that can be fixed. I will probably be working on that. Why not, cute star shaped apples of high quality would be fun. They might not be a good match for the processing machines and all the handling and shipping apples are subjected to in the industrial apple chain. For growing at home and small scale local production and distribution though, I'm sure they would be very popular.

Well you have, potentially, a bigger dataset than ...

2024-12-17T10:15:07.508-05:00

Well you have, potentially, a bigger dataset than I do, at least for tracking Glocken over time! It does seem to be primarily a culinary apple in the mould of Boskoop and Calville Blanche.

What great timing! We're in Germany and lookin...

2024-12-17T08:45:21.585-05:00

What great timing! We're in Germany and looking to add a few trees to our orchard. We bought a case of Glockenapfel a few weeks ago and basically did the same thing that you did (ate some fresh and then waited a few weeks to see how they aged). Completely agree on the acidity. We used them for baking too, and they worked well. Also provided some good chunks in an applesauce made from several varieties. They are known for holding their shape when cooked. I'm not sure we'll plant one though. We already have a Belle de Boskoop and a Reine de Reinettes (aka Goldparmäne) for cooking. We were looking for something that would be good for fresh eating and to add another note to the flavor profile of our cider. I'm not sure this one is it.

That is a worthy experiment, and please keep us po...

2024-12-14T13:51:57.600-05:00

That is a worthy experiment, and please keep us posted. However, you should know that the kind of storage that mere mortals like you and I (at least me anyway) can provide in our refrigerators is different from the industrial storage the big orchards use.

I would not expect an equivalent result, or at least the time scale could be different.

Thanks for the tip - I'll save some for evalua...

2024-12-14T13:45:48.558-05:00

Thanks for the tip - I'll save some for evaluation throughout the next several months.

You know, my early experience with these kind of t...

2024-12-10T12:14:19.741-05:00

You know, my early experience with these kind of trained me to avoid them in December. But the way they taste at a particular time is influenced by how they are stored, and it may be that Rainier has changed things up (deliberately) to make them good now.

Still I really like them in April, if available then. And that time of year is such a wasteland for apples generally.

Came across these today at an Aldi's Supermark...

2024-12-07T19:29:27.411-05:00

Came across these today at an Aldi's Supermarket while buying cranberries on sale. Took a chance on a 3 lb. bag and am glad I did. Attractive medium to large red-blushed fruit with a hard, crunchy flesh with moderate juiciness. The sweet flesh has some depth of flavor - tones of lemon and an almost savory flavor; perhaps it is the malt described by Adam. I will compare them to some Wicksons I have stashed away and see if I can pin down that flavor.

Hi Michael, it is nice to hear from you! Apples in...

2024-12-04T21:43:28.917-05:00

Hi Michael, it is nice to hear from you! Apples in New England are indeed kind of an iconic idea, though I am afraid we will be saying goodby to some old favorites as the climate heats up.

I'm flattered by the thought that what I write influences what people grow. I hope it's obvious that I am mostly ignorant of a whole range of qualities of considerable interest to farmers and gardeners! Good luck with your trees.

Hi Michael, we have yet to see these around here, ...

2024-12-04T21:00:23.454-05:00

Hi Michael, we have yet to see these around here, but I'll bet they would he popular if someone were to grow them! I agree these are sweet, but there is also some balancing tart in the mix, or you would not be able to enjoy the flavors.

This is a really good apple, particularly for some...

2024-12-04T19:42:22.597-05:00

This is a really good apple, particularly for someone who doesn't like to have any tart to offset the sweet. It's not just sweet with good cruch, it has great flavor, like you said. The real bonuses are that it is a good early apple (it ripens about the same time as Zestar at my location) and it is easy to grow: not as susceptible to scab as Zestar, and very resistant to dropping even in severe wind storms. It is a smaller apple, though, so thinning is critical if you don't like tiny apples, and, as with some of the other sweet apples, wasps love it. You've got to make sure wasps haven't started burrowing into the apple before you pick it or else you get stung. But enough agronomics; this is a tasting blog, right? My wife and children, who like sweet apples that have flavor, love this apple.

You are lucky to live in an area with such a wealt...

2024-12-04T19:29:33.325-05:00

You are lucky to live in an area with such a wealth of local apple orchards. Apples grow well where I live, but growing apples is not part of the tradition or culture here. It's a 2.5-hour one-way drive to the nearest local apple orchard from where I live. This means that if you're someone like me who doesn't just want to eat Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and one or two other varieties produced in Washington state, you have to grow the apples yourself, and you often have to purchase trees without ever having tasted the apple. Your blog has been a fantastic resource in getting a good sense of which varieties are worth planting; as is often the case, the best information tends to come from someone who isn't trying to sell you something. As the various varieties have entered production, and I've finally gotten to taste test, I've found your assessments to be spot-on. The only fantastic apple in my growing collection of trees that is missing from your blog is 'Keepsake'. It's a shame that it's a regional apple that apparently isn't grown much in the Northeast. It is towards the top of my list of favorites. Anyhow, sincere thanks. Your blog is fun to read and also very helpful.

@AL, my attitude is share the entertainment! (Spam...

2024-12-03T12:38:15.310-05:00

@AL, my attitude is share the entertainment! (Spam comments excepted—you won;t see those here.)

I was wondering what the hell a "niche post&q...

2024-12-03T11:24:06.430-05:00

I was wondering what the hell a "niche post" is. So I Googled it, and this is what I got. I don't feel any more enlightened....
-
"What is niche post?
Uterine niche is an iatrogenic pouch-like defect at the site of previous caesarean scar due to defective tissue healing. Other terms used are uterine isthmocele, caesarean scar defect, uterine dehiscence and diverticulum."
(Adam, this is for your entertainment--I don't expect it to be "approved" for posting.. :P)

This is a niche blog, so yeah.

2024-12-03T10:47:08.660-05:00

This is a niche blog, so yeah.

Actually, yes, my specimen was picked off the tree...

2024-12-03T07:54:16.870-05:00

Actually, yes, my specimen was picked off the tree too early in September.
Quite small one, firm and almost entirely colored in red.

That is a double whammy—sorry! But are you sure th...

2024-11-30T11:59:19.073-05:00

That is a double whammy—sorry! But are you sure there are not apples where you live? I would suppose that anyplace where a may frost is unusual, but still occasional, would be very much in the zone for growing apples.

Thanks, Stephen! At this point I chalk differences...

2024-11-30T11:57:14.708-05:00

Thanks, Stephen! At this point I chalk differences in flavor up to natural variation.

Thanks! This promotional website is new since I wr...

2024-11-30T11:55:07.484-05:00

Thanks! This promotional website is new since I wrote my Ambrosia review.

I think this company is going to have an uphill battle with its trademark. "Ambrosia" (not "™") is already established; why should anyone pay extra for "Ambrosia Gold™?"

I have a young Belle de Boskoop which has just sta...

2024-11-30T01:51:34.756-05:00

I have a young Belle de Boskoop which has just started producing apples, and they look like your second picture. They're large. Your description of the flavour jibes with my recollections, although here in New Zealand it's going to be months before the next ones.

Link for more info on Amborsia -> https://www....

2024-11-28T21:08:34.860-05:00

Link for more info on Amborsia -> https://www.ambrosia.gold/

Thank you, Philip, that is very kind.

2024-11-28T11:22:25.572-05:00

Thank you, Philip, that is very kind.

I have been enjoying the Ambrosia for a few years ...

2024-11-28T10:57:20.892-05:00

I have been enjoying the Ambrosia for a few years now. One of my favorites. Picked up a dozen this week at my local Kroger's store in Denver, CO, no idea where they come from. Adam, thanks for all the effort you put into this blog, very enjoyable and educational reading for me. Philip

Thank you for blogging. I enjoy your journey throu...

2024-11-28T09:44:33.516-05:00

Thank you for blogging.
I enjoy your journey through the apple season. Here there are no local apples, and this year I got a killing freeze in May.

Questioning "I would like to ask" ? In t...

2024-11-27T07:29:59.758-05:00

Questioning "I would like to ask" ? In the apple world is there anything stopping you from making your own names up and changing the names for each season and there for catching the customer imagingnation with names like appy apples and fruit-E juice-E .

Hi Arielle, maybe! If this is still a possibility,...

2024-11-26T18:35:54.927-05:00

Hi Arielle, maybe! If this is still a possibility, please reach out to me at the email address on my Blogger profile page. Even if not, I'd be interested in your apple project; let me know.

I was just there with the same purpose and agree a...

2024-11-26T10:46:42.995-05:00

I was just there with the same purpose and agree about exceptional quality this year. Also about gratitude to the Clarks and the orchard crew.

I got some GoldRush at Clarkdale Orchard (Deerfiel...

2024-11-26T08:10:53.822-05:00

I got some GoldRush at Clarkdale Orchard (Deerfield MA) this past weekend. Possibly the best GoldRush I've gotten from them (to be clear, they're always good, but these are exceptionally good). Just in case any of your readers are looking for some. Thanks to the Clark family for growing them!

Thanks! That is not a term I am familiar with, tho...

2024-11-25T19:29:54.874-05:00

Thanks! That is not a term I am familiar with, though I have noticed a kind of subtle dimpling. "minor pocks and swells," in some varieties, such as Honeycrisp.

Maybe not the same thing. I'll keep this in mind when next I try this variety.

John was more of a cider guy.

2024-11-25T19:14:03.158-05:00

John was more of a cider guy.

I Love applesauce did he create it or…

2024-11-25T15:46:11.403-05:00

I Love applesauce did he create it or…

adam will you be at davis sq farmers market again ...

2024-11-25T12:40:04.945-05:00

adam will you be at davis sq farmers market again this weds for the end of season? im also a big apple reviewer and didn't realize you were in the area! would love to trade notes. will be there around 12;15

A key identifying characteristic of Belle de Bosko...

2024-11-25T08:59:47.912-05:00

A key identifying characteristic of Belle de Boskoop is its hammered skin - a slight bumpiness that can really only be felt rather than seen. It's an uncommon feature shared with a few other varieties like Annie Elizabeth and Cortland

So I did not hallucinate it! Did you find any trac...

2024-11-22T20:15:16.108-05:00

So I did not hallucinate it! Did you find any trace of those so-called ""bursts of honey and melon?"

The peppery flavour I’m totally picking up on! I’d...

2024-11-22T20:08:03.119-05:00

The peppery flavour I’m totally picking up on! I’d even compare it to a mild star anise/warm spice profile.

I just wanted to leave a comment here because I wa...

2024-11-21T16:47:17.633-05:00

I just wanted to leave a comment here because I was discussing apples recently and I came across this post while looking for something completely unrelated. Personally love a Pink Lady myself

It's mostly just for fun. Sometimes, though, I...

2024-11-18T16:58:22.660-05:00

It's mostly just for fun. Sometimes, though, I find that the exercise teaches me something about the apples.

Give Topaz a try if you get the chance. It sound like you might appreciate it.

I don't really understand the purposed of givi...

2024-11-18T15:46:23.510-05:00

I don't really understand the purposed of giving an opinion of an apple based on cross tasting. Seems entirely useless for information. Personally I find honeycrisp to be just fine but there is something about apples that are too sweet. My family recently went picking and had Pink fairy and they were just pure sugar bombs. Some might like that. We ventured over to try the Topaz and there is something distinctly APPLE about the flavor. Sweet but not so sweet that you lose the taste of apple.

Pakistan has the best apples in the world

2024-11-16T13:41:09.522-05:00

Pakistan has the best apples in the world

You can probably tell that I am fascinated by all ...

2024-11-10T11:44:38.746-05:00

You can probably tell that I am fascinated by all the history into which this apple is embedded. Of course, I live near all of these places, but I don't think every apple has stories like these.

It is also an excellent apple, flavorful, crisp, and a good keeper.

Western WI: First of all: No, the monuments arou...

2024-11-10T08:16:51.553-05:00

Western WI: First of all: No, the monuments around here do not celebrate apples (unfortunately), although we do have some great historic orchards that celebrate them. It’s interesting to note that there are apples planted around many of the locks and dams in this region. I have been to at least a couple of water project areas where there are apples. Unfortunately there are no records of which apples they are. I wonder if any are Baldwins? You can almost imagine Baldwin making his imprint on the the world by recommending that the nascent Army Corps of Engineers plant Baldwin apple trees by all projects involving water. Secondly: What a fascinating tale! I made it through all three blog posts to get here and be the first to leave a comment! And after all the posing regarding who actually “discovered” the Baldwin apple, I wonder who owned the estate mentioned at the time the apple was discovered? Was it the Butters Estate at that time, or did that come later? Finally: I was intrigued by the vernacular name of “Pecker” apple when I first saw it, wondering if it had a similar source as those from areas far west from where the Baldwin originated (look up Killpecker dunes some time). How intriguing to find that it was named because of its attractiveness to woodpeckers! And that raises the question of whether woodpeckers are still attracted to Baldwin apples? I don’t know if the historic Seed Savers orchard in Decorah, IA has any Baldwins, but if they do, I’ll have to check it out!

Oh, good catch re Bunyard! That is the sort of thi...

2024-11-08T10:02:45.177-05:00

Oh, good catch re Bunyard! That is the sort of think I like to know, thanks.

One of the best old UK sorts. Quite easy to identi...

2024-11-08T07:35:50.584-05:00

One of the best old UK sorts. Quite easy to identify at Apple Days due to its washed-out pastel colours. Worth noting that the Allington nursery was that of famed nurseryman and author of A Handbook of Hardy Fruits, Edward A. Bunyard.

I tried this apple a few years ago when the Cornel...

2024-11-06T11:28:50.798-05:00

I tried this apple a few years ago when the Cornell orchards retail outlet was still in operation and they were offering it as an experimental variety ("apple A" they called it). I would love to know where to buy them, and also where to get trees.

I may never taste a really ripe Hauer.

2024-11-05T09:53:24.511-05:00

I may never taste a really ripe Hauer.

We have a Hauer Pippin in Pullman, WA (eastern par...

2024-11-03T13:30:25.916-05:00

We have a Hauer Pippin in Pullman, WA (eastern part of state, 2400' elevation) and have just done a first pick of a roughly 8-10-yr-old tree. This is its largest harvest yet. Despite my best efforts with dormant oil spray there is a lot of coddling moth damage; maybe one-third of the apples escaped. As of early November they are not quite ripe; we'll leave most of the fruit for a later picking. Right now they are very firm and crisp and tend to be small. We need to be more thorough on mid-season thinning. Interesting apple and I'm have to have it in the back yard.

I have given the sugar bee apple to a few friends ...

2024-11-02T11:34:54.359-04:00

I have given the sugar bee apple to a few friends at work that like apples as well. They feel the same way. No taste to me. They're the greatest apple ever the crisp juicy, and they taste kind of like a honeydew to me.

Never tried them until this week 100% over honey ...

2024-10-30T20:52:25.323-04:00

Never tried them until this week 100% over honey crisp

Happy Birthday!! What a wonderful way to spend you...

2024-10-29T21:45:12.858-04:00

Happy Birthday!! What a wonderful way to spend your birthday! I adore these apples, too—Winesaps or Stayman Winesaps…not really sure which they are. I just got from my favorite orchard here in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, Windy Hill Farm.

Perhaps there are some beauties well adapted to yo...

2024-10-27T20:09:16.932-04:00

Perhaps there are some beauties well adapted to your climate and zone. I find that every region seems to have its own apple culture.

Hi! There is actually a similar story about Salome...

2024-10-27T20:06:51.243-04:00

Hi! There is actually a similar story about Salome and Benton Red.

Please keep up your investigations. I live on the ...

2024-10-27T09:22:46.157-04:00

Please keep up your investigations. I live on the Plains, and wish we had weather fair enough to grown all there beauties.

Just pulled off my last Deane yesterday from the s...

2024-10-27T08:16:07.652-04:00

Just pulled off my last Deane yesterday from the same tree you got your sample from. These apples are still firm and tasty, similar to the way they were a month ago. Pretty surprised at the quality this late in the season. The picture you have has striping similar to Odenburg so I don't have doubts about the genetics. I think Milwaukee is a Deane that was dragged to Winsconsin kicking and screaming and wanting to go back to Maine where it grows and tastes better. Maybe Deane is self fertile and Milwaukee is a seedling of Deane, making it a near clone. All kinds of possibilities.

Not my greatest title, that! What struck me about ...

2024-10-26T12:46:20.992-04:00

Not my greatest title, that! What struck me about the mood of the market on that unusually warm sunny October day was how happy everybody seemed to be to be there.

Ha! When I read the title, I thought it meant you...

2024-10-26T12:30:38.828-04:00

Ha! When I read the title, I thought it meant you had tasted 25 new apples in October... Wishing that that many apples find their way to you!

Happy hunting!

2024-10-26T11:28:18.816-04:00

Happy hunting!

Western WI: I’ll definitely keep an eye out for t...

2024-10-26T08:40:17.112-04:00

Western WI: I’ll definitely keep an eye out for this one! I wonder if I’ll be able to find it?

I'm a little astonished myself! It has been a ...

2024-10-23T10:47:31.421-04:00

I'm a little astonished myself! It has been a busy October.

These are now available in New England supermarket...

2024-10-23T10:46:50.538-04:00

These are now available in New England supermarkets at least some of the time, which means, probably, everywhere. Production must be ramped up if we are seeing them here.

There are some apples that just do not grow here i...

2024-10-23T10:43:12.659-04:00

There are some apples that just do not grow here in New England.

Thank you for the flurry of recent reviews! I app...

2024-10-23T07:14:15.296-04:00

Thank you for the flurry of recent reviews! I appreciate them, and frankly I am surprised that you can still come up with so many new varieties to review!

I have sugarbees at my local grocery store here in...

2024-10-22T23:25:35.374-04:00

I have sugarbees at my local grocery store here in Southern Utah, they are literally the only apple I buy anymore. I love how sweet and juicy they are. Never was a fan of honeycrisp, or apples in general(i work in the produce department, i try them all). But I will go out of my way to buy sugar bees. And they are the only apple that doesn't create excess gas bubbles to upset my tummy. Big win for me.

I still feel bad that I didn't get you some La...

2024-10-22T18:21:14.619-04:00

I still feel bad that I didn't get you some Lady Williams while I still lived down in SoCal. Maybe you need to take a another field trip to California to taste that, and Pettingill, another fine SoCal apple.