It’s been a little while, but I thought I’d post some updates on our apples as they’re beginning to bear fruit.
Possibly/probably misidentified
Hope it’s not actually Hoople’s Antique Gold
The tree flowers and fruits pretty prolifically, which seems right for a Golden Delicious sport, but the apples are small and green with a smooth, waxy skin, no russet. The flesh is firm, not crunchy, and on the drier side, and many of the apples are watercored. Some of the apples have hints of interesting, vaguely GD-like flavor, but on the whole they have not been very good. I’m probably going to give it another year before regrafting, but it’s on probation.
Probably not Pitmaston Pineapple
The tree grows well and produces nice-looking apples, but the fruit is (a) quite large and (b) almost entirely unrusseted, both of which seem wrong for PP. It also seems to be late ripening, and I’ve only had samples that were too green to evaluate properly. Still have a few hanging and will update when I try them.
Probably not Orleans Reinette
I don’t know what this tree actually is, but I’m pretty sure it’s not OR. Two years ago we got some pretty, nice-tasting apples from the tree. In appearance, they were fairly large, similar in shape to Gala, with a pink blush. In taste, they were crisp, pleasantly sweet, and rather mild, which my wife liked. Not bad but not exciting. This year they’ve been smaller and a bit washed out, possibly due to the wet weather we’ve been having. Whatever it is, it’s another one that’s on probation.
Reine des Reinettes?
Honestly not sure about the ID on this one. The apples look sort of like some pictures of RdR but considerably less like others. Fairly large, roundish/conical, in many cases prominently ribbed, with a red blush over green to light yellow. Little russet. The flesh is quite hard, firm, and white. Out of hand, they’re pretty interesting, with a rich flavor and a distinct smack of astringency (which I kind of like). Knowing that @mrsg47 has recommended RdR as a baking apple, I figured I would take a few of these for a test drive in an apple crisp, and whatever they actually are, we were very happy with the outcome. It’s possible that I’ve been picking them a little early - I’m still trying to get a feel for that with a lot of things. I’ve got a few that are still hanging and will see how they turn out. Whether or not it’s RdR, I think it’s going to be a keeper for baking if nothing else.
Apples I’ve been happy with
Adams Pearmain
I’ve found this to be a really nice apple. It’s relatively small, yellow flushed red, about 50-75% russet, and tends to the conical/ovate in shape. Really rich sweet-tart flavor. I’ve read descriptions of AP and other russets that talk about a pear-like or nutty flavor, but that hasn’t been my experience so much. Instead, I’ve experienced more of a citrus thing - with AP, it’s like a really intense orange. Several of our other apples have something along the same lines, running from tarter orange to tangerine to more lemony: Hunt Russet, Gray Pearmain, Black Oxford, Wheeler’s Golden Russet, more or less in that order. But while I enjoy the whole range, AP is probably the most appealing and best-balanced.
Black Oxford
We didn’t get any fruit this year, but I’ve had a chance to try a couple in the past. Very pretty, distinctive fruit. Similar in flavor to Adams Pearmain and Hunt Russet, but maybe more tangerine than orange (in other words, a little tarter), and perhaps a little drier. Have not had enough to store but interested to see how they do in that regard.
Gray Pearmain
Starting to like this apple quite a lot. They’ve been flattish, fairly large, mostly green to yellow with about 50-75% russet. Fairly hard, quite crisp, but more of a “breaking” than “crunching” crisp, if that makes sense. Picked on the early side, they’re pretty intense, with a lot of lemony tartness but also a good amount of sugar. When more fully ripe, they mellow a bit and the really nice ones develop a kind of buttery thing in the background, kind of like lemon cake. It will be interesting to see how they do in storage. I’ve tried one that had been in the fridge for a bit and it had mellowed and sweetened quite noticeably.
Kidd’s Orange Red
I had some questions about ID on this one, but thanks to some helpful photos from @mamuang, I’m pretty confident now that we do in fact have KOR. It’s a very nice apple, and probably the one that’s been most broadly popular in our family. Crisp, sweet, fairly juicy, just a bit tart, and all coming together harmoniously. Our daughter’s favorite out of the apples we grow so far.
Mother
An interesting, unusual, and highly variable apple. Looks kind of like KOR, though it tends to be a littler more long where KOR tends to be a little more flat (ovate vs. oblate), and the texture is less crunchy/a little more delicate. Most of the time they’re just pleasant and rather mild, but when everything comes together they’re really delightful, with a smooth sweetness that reminds me of cream soda and an unusual feeling of coolness in the mouth. They seem to have a relatively narrow peak in terms of optimal ripening and storage.
Hunt Russet
I like these. They’re a good sized, nice looking russet. Pretty hard, perhaps a little on the drier side, but with a nice breaking snap and a rich taste that reminds me of a rather tart orange. Similar to Adams Pearmain in many respects, but tend to be bigger and not quite as highly flavored (though still very good).
Wheeler’s Golden Russet
Our first year getting fruit from this tree, and I’ve only tried a couple. Generally similar to Gray Pearmain, but not quite as complex in flavor. Still very enjoyable, though, and the tree grows well. Will be interested to see how they do in storage. (This is not Wheeler’s Russet of the UK, but rather a local sport of Golden Russet.)
Have had fruits from a couple of other trees, but not enough to form an opinion.
