I already wrote this up in my yearly summary (My Backyard planting experience (Part 2) - Zone 4a/b Quebec, Canada - #11 by hungryfrozencanuck4b) but will cross post it here without photos for those who have interest in Zone 4b (Quebec, Canada).
I only got 4 types of apples this year but looking at bud development I hope to have many more types to taste next year.
We had our first frost October 10 with 4 more nights of frost that same week.
From early to late:
Redfree: I only had 3 of these apples. In august they had not fully changed color and did not release easily so I left longer. First I picked September 2 and the seeds were just starting to turn brown. 90g. 12 Brix. Tasting note: Very crisp. Mild apple flavour. More acid than sweet but not puckering (eg. still sweeter than mcintosh). I liked it. I finally picked the other two on September 11. One apple was fully red, sweet but softer and borderline mealy. 14 brix. I believe it was over-ripe. The 2nd apple had some green to it, was crisp with a nice balance of sweet and acid. 12 brix. With only 2 apples I really could not comment much on them. From this experience I would say Redfree ripening date this years was 2nd week of September after hand pollinating May 24 (110 days)
Crimson Crisp: I only had 2 of these apples. They are supposed to ripen late September into October but I picked one on September 15 because it was mostly red and released easily. The seeds were all brown. Apple looks a bit like a small red delicious. 126g. It was VERY dense and slightly sour. I picked the second apple September 24. It was now fully red. 95g. Very sweet at 14 brix with very little acid and yet extremely crisp and crunchy with a very nice flavour reminiscent of a good red delicious. I am looking forward to having more next year! From this experience I would say Crimson crisp ripening date this years was 4th week of September after hand pollinating May 24 (123 days)
Liberty: This was my main apple producer this year. It is a tiny tree – I think on M27 as it tops out around 6 feet. Covered in apples. I only bagged about half to see the difference between protected and non-protected and there is a huge difference. Non protected were occasionally ½ the size, malformed and with some bad cracking and bug damage. First apple tasted was a windfall on September 4 and was sour. Picked again September 21 but seeds still not brown. 11 brix. Dry, not juicy. Tangy. Picked again September 30 and now it was crisper and jucy but still very tart and some seeds were dark but others light. 12 brix. October 10 I picked more. The ziplock protected apples were darker red, crisp, jucy and sweet. The organza protected apples were slightly less red, softer and sweeter. October 11 picked again and the Ziploc was more red, less crisp and very sweet. The organza protected apple was less red, some skin damage a bit more acid. On the 11th both were 15 brix. I trimmed an unprotected apple that was damaged and still had some green and it was very crisp and nice balance of sweet and tang. From this experience I would say Liberty ripening date this years was 2nd week of October after hand pollinating May 24 (140 days)
Macfree: I only had 2 apples. My first apple I picked October 13. Pretty apple. Striated skin but the “green” is less green than Liberty but more a golden yellow/brown. 100g. 14 brix. Tasting sweeter with less acid than Liberty. Softer and less crisp than Liberty, a bit more like a McIntosh you get from the store. Flavour difficult to describe. Inoffensive, pleasing and pleasant. Ate alternating slice by slice with Liberty in combination with a sharp cheese and both were delicious. Different enough in flavour profile and texture that you could grow both. I think people who like slightly tart apples would prefer Liberty for the taste and crispness. 2nd apple was 153g and I picked October 14.
From this experience I would say Macfree ripening date this years was 2nd week of October after hand pollinating May 24 (140 days)
For next year I hope to have some of the following apples to taste.
Ashmead’s Kernel Apple
Calville Blanc Apple
Egremont Russet Apple
Enterprise Apple
Fireside Apple
Goldrush Apple
M360 Apple
Norkent Apple
Prairie Sensation Apple
Pristine Apple
Williams Pride Apple
Wolf River Apple