Not the best year by any means for us, probably the worst actually since we started selling apples, but still had some fruit. My wife says I have a tendency to go on forever when talking about apples so I will just limit this to a few varieties starting at the top of the list alphabetically and not picking everyone that had fruit.
Adam’s Pearmain (England 1826) - when I started with growing fruit I created a web page with apples in different categories and one of them is Pearmain apples. Supposedly pearmain apples have a similar shape and or flavor. Nope, not true. This one is a good apple, not the best producer volume wise, but reliable every year. Medium sized late season red striped fruit that is juicy and sweet.
Airlie Red Flesh (Oregon 1960’s or 1970’s?) (aka Hidden Rose and Mountain Rose) - this variety was the second or third red flesh one I grafted and I am now up to almost 200 different red or pink or orange flesh varieties. Still in the top five for red flesh varieties for me, bears heavily and reliably every year. A nice tasting medium sized greenish yellow fruit with pink flesh with a nice sweet tart taste. Found by Bill Schultz who also found Bill’s Red Flesh (now marketed as Scarlet Surprise).
Akero (Sweden mid 1700’s) - one of my favorites and a great tasting late summer variety. Striking appearance, pink flush with red stripes over a yellow base. The fruits are juicy and sweet with a very unique flavor. We eat them fresh for the most part but one year I did mix them with Gravenstein and Summer Rambo for a summer mix cider.
Alaska (California 1930’s) - an Albert Etter developed variety, large, juicy and tasty and one of the palest apples we grow, on the shady side of the tree the fruit looks almost white. I like to use this one if my apple presentations and put it next to Black Oxford for color comparison.
Binet Violet (France) - Bittersweet cider variety. I call this the lazy man’s apple, it barely grows and barely fruits but is great for cider. Small fruit that is reddish purplish with thin russet stripes.
Blue Pearmain (Massachusetts pre 1800) - A unique bluish bloom over dark purplish skin. Crisp, tender, fine-grained yellowish flesh with rich and mildly tart flavor. Orchardists describe the Blue Pearmain as “heavy in hand” (dense) referring to the noticeably higher specific gravity. One of my favorites and someone at one our tastings described is as having “rosewater” flavor. Just such a shy bearer for us but the last couple of years I have grafted more trees of this variety to make up for that.
Brownlee’s Russet (England 1848) - Medium size late season fruit that is crisp and juicy with a rich sweet sharp acid drop flavor. Greenish gold, flushed orange, with fine russeting. Another one of my favorites with a taste signature similar to Court of Wick and Ashmead’s Kernal.
Calville Blanc d’Hiver (France 1598) - A favorite of King Louis XIVth, large, late, greenish yellow apple with bumps and ridges, good, strong, rich taste. More vitamin C than oranges, The cream colored flesh is rich and sweet, yet tart at the same time. I had an old neighbor one time come over and while standing by one of these trees say to me that those apples are so ugly why do you grow them? I told him to wait until they are ripe and then come taste them. He was hooked once he did that .
Claygate Pearmain (England early 1800’s) - For us this variety is always an “ugly” apple but as we tell people we grow apples for taste not looks and this, unfortunately, shy bearer is a great taster. Medium size fruit ripens mid season and is juicy and crisp with a tangy flavor initially but become sweet, rich and nutty when stored. Dull red with russetting.
Coe’s Golden Drop (England 1700’s) - Another variety with what is described as acid drop flavor. Late season, medium sized yellow fruit with crmson blush and small patches of thin russet. Delicious fruit has greenish flesh that is firm, crisp, very juicy, brisk and vinous.
Just some of the over 1,000 varieties we grow at our Hocking Hills Orchard. Now what will happen when I start having thousands of trees having full production of fruit? I will need to open a store!
