A friend of mine wants an apple with these characteristics: extremely firm, extremely juicy and extremely acidic. He lives in central NJ (zone 6). Which variety would you recommend? Thanks!
Honey Crisp or Crimson Crisp are nice, not sure about acidic though. I like tart apples like granny smith and like both Crisps if that helps. Being from jersey I’d lean to the Honey Crisp since it apparently is more CAR resistant but I don’t know how true that is. You would also need another variety for pollination.
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Well, with my limited experience with apples in general, I would say Goldrush, and Granny Smith, although both aren’t “extremely” firm.
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I’d avoid yellow varieties on texture but I have never had a goldrush so maybe they are not as mealy?
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They are pretty firm off the tree, not rock hard like an Arkansas Black, but firm. I never thought they were mealy. They will soften a bit and sweeten in storage after a few months. Golden Russet is both tart and juicy off the tree, too, but it doesn’t stay firm as long as a Goldrush.
I would agree with Honeycrisp, haven’t tried a Crimson Crisp, tho. I would also add Pink Lady, and Jonathan, although Jonathan can get soft somewhat faster in storage. I tried one of those last year from an orchard, and man, was it tart, but still tasty.
Never had one, but I wonder if a crab apple would be to the OP’s friend’s liking, although I don’t know if they are firm in general.
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Calville Blanc d’Hiver?
It is tart, crisp, and juicy, though not sure it’s “extremely” tart, crisp, and juicy, lol.
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Maybe a quince? It is extremely firm and often acidic. Otherwise Granny Smith or Newtown Pippin.
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Goldrush
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Goldrush would be my best bet. I know if other acidic apples such as Bramley, fox, yellow transparent,etc but they aren’t that firm. Winter Jon may be another option but not as sure on it’s acidity yet.
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Rhode Island Greening, Suntan, Winekist, Goldrush and Black Oxford if it doesn’t get too much light.
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Here are some good options… in order of ripening.
Williams’ Pride
Gravenstein
Jonathan
Stayman Winesap
Ashmead’s Kernel
Goldrush (keeps thru May)
Pink Lady (keeps to Jan)
Ashmead is the best fit, but it might be a Triploid. Gravenstein is also a Triploid.
You need at least two diploid apples to cross-pollinate… or three if a triploid is in the bunch.
A triploid will accept pollen but will not return the favor.
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You can find some data on the sweetness/acidity of some apple varieties on slide 18 of this presentation:
Looks like Mammoth Black Twig (Blacktwig in their chart) may be worth investigating.
http://www.treesofantiquity.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=27
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@Stan You are looking for “Fox” apple variety from the collection of the late, lamented Rev. Henry Morton of Tennessee.
Available from: Fox
As Thoreau said of his sour apples he liked: “It would set a squirrel’s teeth on edge.” Or words to that effect.
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Jonafree, maybe?
What do folks know of the other PRI apples? There are a few very firm apples in that bunch - Winecrisp, Crimson Crisp, Goldrush come to mind.
Reading the PRI description for Priam makes it sound acid, but I don’t see info about firmness.
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Goldrush has the dense crunch and twang they’re looking for.
Also out of the PRI program-- Pixie Crunch is flippin fantastic, but is not acidic or particularly hard-textured.
To me, Crimson Crisp makes beautiful-looking apples, but the flavor and taste is marginal.
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I have a Winecrisp, but it’s only been in the ground since last year, hence no apples yet. But, I did try some from the orchard we visited. If I remember, it was a firm apple, and somewhat juicy, but not real tart. It was a pretty good apple, but not one of my faves.
Their Stark Winesap’s were very good, big fruit, with some tang and juiciness, but not too firm. They don’t keep a long time, either. I don’t know how their’s compare to other WS, I know there are some wide variabilities.
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Agreed. And Crismon Crisp is definitely not a tart apple. Though I have noted what I think is an improvement year-on-year for taste from the orchard I get CC from. So that may be a tree age thing. It isn’t high on my lists of to-add though.
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I tried a CandyCrisp last year, very firm, juicy, but had a kinda off-putting sweetness to it. Not much acid, either.
Are Ashmead’s really tart or firm? I base this on what I’ve read about them, I haven’t actually had one.
Also, could Baldwin be a good choice? Again, that’s based on what I’ve read. Liberty can be pretty tangy and juicy, too. I’ve liked the ones we’ve sampled.
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Just grafted that one this year, and I’m looking forward to seeing just how tart it really is. Another possibility: Horse (which is also available from BHC).
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In my (limited) experience, Crimson Crisp went from very acidic to a bit bland, depending on how long you leave it hang. It’s OK, but I like Goldrush and Ashmead’s Kernel much better. As others have noted, it is very pretty and fully red.
I think Goldrush is more hard (I don’t grow Arkansas Black to compare) and crunchy than firm. Firm makes me think of a dense, but not crunchy apple like Blue Pearmain (not a favorite of mine). I wouldn’t describe the Golden Russets I’ve had as tart- more very sweet with a slight acid twist.
I agree on Johnathan- very good earlier fall apple with plenty of acid. Not crunchy, but reasonably firm.
Yes, off the tree they have good firmness and a ton of acid, as well as high brix. They also get bitter pit.
I think they would both probably work, though I like Baldwin quite a bit more, as Liberty seems pretty variable.
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