I like the taste of this apple a lot. Some folks in the forum posted about its disease resistance which is also important to me. I know its a YD sport, but when does it ripen compared to YD? Also, how is the fruit production? How would you expect it to perform in a hot/humid climate like NC? I need an apple that ripens in the YD window, but so many folks associate YD with taste of grocery store apples.
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Blue,
David Vernon sells Hooples (he calls it Hopples, with two āPsā). His nursery is in NC. Hereās his profile on how the apple performs there:
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Matt
Thanks for the information. I tasted a Hoople Antique Gold apple at David Vernonās open house a few years ago. He is very smart and very helpful and does a great job with heritage apple trees in his nursery. Unfortunately, his taste and my taste in apples do not always agree. He suggested the Bevens trees that I plan to turn into something else, so Iām very interested in how others on this forum feel about Hoople. I need something that ripens with Yellow Delicious, and Iām considering more Grimes or HAG or perhaps even Yellow Delicious. Galarina ripens about the same time. I have never eaten one of those, but folks seem more inclined to buy red apples.
I sampled Grimes a few Octobers back. It was a lot like Golden Russet but not quite as good. Just okay. Mildly sweet with a little effervescence in the flavor profile.
Rumor is Grimes has a high level of disease resistance; one of its advantages.
Iāve not yet tried Hooples or Galarina.
When does Yellow/Golden Delcious ripen in your area?
Matt
My Grimes are not especially vigorous trees compared with other variety. They got some fireblight last year and I understand collar rot can be a problem, but really I like the apples. When I asked Tom Burford for guidance on apple variety for my area he suggested Winesap and Grimes. I pulled my apples off this year, but I believe the grimes should should ripen in early September. A local PYO farm lists the ripening date of YD as around Sept 1
My Hooples seems to ripen in a similar window to YD. I donāt have YD but I have some of its children and they are all just getting to ripe in a bit.
Hooples is one awesome apple, super flavorful. The only YD school apple in the same league for taste is Freyburg, but Freiburg is much more prone to rotting.
Disease-wise the apples are amazing, no blemishes at all under my super-minimal organic spray program (I have not sprayed my apples in over two months now, and the apples got only organic sprays all year this year). I also have not noticed bad leaf problems on it, it seems relatively low-risk for CAR.
HIGHLY recommended!!
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If youāre talking about Bevanās Favorite, that has been one of biggest disappointments.
Grimes has been my best and one of my healthiest apples. Two years ago, when I had
a bad outbreak of FB, Grimes never got it. I like Grimes so much, Iām going to graft it onto
several others trees next year. My Grimes are not quite ripe. I like to pick them, before
they turn completely yellow. To me, they taste better not fully ripe.
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Blue,
I would recommend Honeycrisp but Iām not sure it would perform well in NCās long hot & humid summers.
Have you ever considered Magnum Bonum? It should ripen around the same time as Golden/Yellow Delicious. Itās another one of the old southern apples recommended by Lee Calhoun. It was actually discovered in NC. Several nurseries occassionally stock it, including David Vernonās as well as Big Horse Creek.
I should add that Magnum Bonum is reportedly susceptible to rust, but resists scab and fireblight. It can develop a dark red crimson color upon ripening.
We really like Grimes for a sweet cider base, the juice is a little effervescent and syrupy. We use it slightly over ripe, about the 1st week in Oct.
Ray
Iām talking about Bevanās Favorite. After eating the apple, I understand why the apple variety almost disappeared! Canāt understand why this apple was highly recommended to me.
Do you know why Grimes was largely replaced by Yellow (Golden) Delicious in commercial orchards? Golden was pushed very hard by Stark which may explain part of the decline. I have never seen both of these apples growing side by side, or had a chance to taste both side by side just off the tree, but I would like to. My Grimes have done well, but the tree has not grown as fast as I expected.
I have Golden Delicious(Gibson Strain), and while itās a prolific producer of
good apples.itās a distant second, when it comes to taste compared to Grimes.
Mine also gets an occasional touch of FB, which is easily controllable. I grafted
4 different varieties of Red Delicious onto my GD, and canāt wait for them to start producing.
I bought it, when I first started growing apples, basically because I was told that you had
to have GD as a pollinator. If I had it to do all over again, I would plant Grimes instead. Itās
just as good a pollinator and a far superior apple.
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I have not tried Hoopleās Antique Gold, but have a Grimes and like it for both of the same reasons. . Does Hoopleās have a markedly different (better?) flavor profile than Grimes?
Because Grimes has a russeted look and Golden Delicious is considered a āprettierā apple by the masses (to answer your question).
People buy apples primarily based on their outward appearance.
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Vohd
I have eaten both, but never side by side. I like both very much and it would be useful to taste them one after another.
I think Tom Buford in his book on Apples says something to the effect that Hooples has a more intense, better taste than roxbury or golden russet. Am not looking at the book so donāt quote me but Iām not far off. Burford is a big fan, recommends it for organic growers. Tom by the way just turned 90 yesterday I think.
Hambone
You are right! He indicated the flavor was more intense and complex than Golden Russet or Rox Russett. Unfortunately he did not compare it with Grimes. In the Grimes section he indicated it was his motherās three favorite apples. I attended several seminars conducted by Mr Burford a few years ago at Vintage Virginia Apples outside of Charlottesville, Va. His family orchard was located just down the road in Amherst county,. Lovingston, Va which is the origin of Ginger Gold is located about halfway between. A lot of apples are grown in this area of the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge Mountains and I believe Grimes are still popular there
Thanks for pointing out this review. It seems like its worth trying in addition to my āGrimes.ā
I canāt seem to locate it at the usual apple tree nurseries and, If anyone knows of one that does sell it, or a source of scion, Iād appreciate the lead.
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Blue,
I happen to like Rox Russet and Golden Russet better than Grimes.
If Burford thinks Hooples is better than Rox Russet and Golden Russet, then Hooples very well may be the most superior apple out of all of them.
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[quote=āVohd, post:17, topic:2232ā]
I canāt seem to locate it at the usual apple tree nurseries and, If anyone knows of one that does sell it, or a source of scion, Iād appreciate the lead.
[/quote]Century Farm Orchard has it on MM111 only.
Great Point! I have not been able to locate Hoople on a dwarf rootstock so far so I plan to buy one semi dwarf tree this fall and bench graft my own trees
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Blue,
Have you check Maple Valley Orchard? They have Hoople and offfer it on Bud 9. That is pretty dwarf. I do not know anything about this nursery, though.