So far, I have yet to encounter sub-par Pink Lady. Crossing my fingers!
I tried an Autumn Glory apple for the first time today. The flesh was very crisp and breaking but the remarkable trait was flavor. It tasted exactly like Cherry Pepsi. Iām not sure if I liked it or not.
Iāve been seeing lots of Opals around here this year too. Theyāre pretty good but have a bit if a banana undertone that I sometimes find off-putting.
Iām eating one of these new Autumn Glory apples right now. I agree with you that there is a fake cherry flavor to them to start. It progresses to cider with a hint of spiced rum to me. There is a solvent-like taste to them too. I have had a few of them, and each one has had that solvent-like flavor. Almost iso-propyl alcohol like. Iām not sure I like it.
They really stand out in the grocery store. A display of them next to other apples turns your eye, and it is easy to understand where they got the name!
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Yes. I think itās that progression to a solvent-like flavor that I couldnāt quite pin down. Itās certainly a compelling apple.
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Hello everyone, a bit late for 2016 but here we go. The first delightful apples of the year for me were Crimson Crisp grown by a local orchardist, very crunchy and kept for a month 'til weād eaten them all. After that cider making got to really going so I bought lots of apples from lots of people. Some of the highlights were mountain grown Jonathan ( had bought from this fella before and showed up on harvest day this year heās most proud of his Macintosh tree but I think Jonny is the one) Stayman, bought some grew a few like it a lot, Wykken Pippen (Wow), Winterstein, some crazy little pink fleshed crab I liberated. Rome Beauty was kind of a revelation for me this year sugars up nice with a decent ph makes good juice, not great to eat though. My first try with Empire, Holiday and GoldRush were all really underwhelming. Swiss Limbertwig was just ok this year but that could be a cultural thing. Picked a couple bushels of green āstoneā crabs this year that seem to have cidered up nice but were basically inedible. 1 bushel of crab pears I picked, good liquor but not good to eat. All in all Winterstein Stayman and Wykken could be my orchard I think, have some more that havenāt fruited yet so weāll see. I only have 1 Arkansas Black planted currently but off of previous experience I would recommend it well ahead of GoldRush and would encourage folks to give Winterstein a go, picked the last of 8 apples on a small 3yr old tree on Nov. 8 and it was amazing. Donāt know how they store but they ripen late enough that they may do well for winter storage. Virginia Beauty, Orleans, Orleans Reinette, Pomme Gris, St Cecilia, Black Oxford and Old Pierre all grew well this year so with any good fortune I may have some new favorites. As a footnote we had 1 Gray Pearmain this year, 3 trees planted, a very mealy insipid apple here but a nice healthy tree. 50+ gallons of cider in barrels carboys & bottles.
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Yes, it was such a bad crop year for me in NY that I went to Trader Joeās to make some fruit gift baskets before meeting my wifeās family for Christmas. I was amazed by their wide selection of unusual apples, both conventionally and organically produced. The most expensive were the organic and they were only $1.29 a pound. My inlaws all assumed the apples were from my trees but forgave me when I explained the season. I too was impressed with Opal, and hope it becomes available from one of my sources.
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I ate opals all week at work for breakfast and lunch. I bought some envys to mix in but I clearly preferred the opals.
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I agree with the consensus that Opal is a winner. Even the ones not at their best are pretty good, and many are exceptional.
I tried Green Dragon for the first time last year and thought they were really good. This year Iāve had it a couple of times and thought it insipid. Hopefully they are more often like the ones I had last year.
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Was at Walmart and they had Opals for 99cents a pound. Family loved them.
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Wow, they are like 2.65 a lbs here. I had one for breakfast that was ok, I had another at lunch that was really good.
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Iām amazed at the money Honeycrisp still charges at the super market.
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Agreed, here they are often 4 bucks a pound
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ā¦and Honeycrisp juice commanding top prices. Sweet, with all the poor taste of constructing the figure of a Barbie doll.
Although I share little enthusiasm for either of its parents (Red D. x McIntosh) Empire grown in an orchard nearby was tremendous in '16.
At the risk of saying the same thing repeatedly (and being redundant,) Bardsey and Winekist home grown were game-changers for me in '16. Sure hope Rambour Franc fruits this year coming!
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Can you describe the taste and texture of the Bardsey youāve eaten?
I answered this question on a different thread, but forget which one.
Bardsey here has the benefit of plenty of sun and temperature swings of 30F from night to midday. It is probably sweeter in such conditions than are likely to prevail where humidity is high. Notice, I wrote āprobably.ā Last year it was brick red, about 3 x 3 inches and weighed 9 ounces: light for the juiciness contained within.
Itās an easy chew.
Bardsey is ripe the last of September, even though last season it bloomed weeks earlier than its debut season in '15. Light lemon scent, noticeable but rather less tartness than sugars. Milder than a fresh picked Jonathan but with better snap to the bite ā nearly Honeycrisp texture when new. Juicy. No unusual components addressing the tongue, which may change if your soil has better calcium content.
When I think of unusual tastes in an apple I have enjoyed vanilla in Macoun; lilac and sweet Allyssum in Beacon; citrus and tropical fruits in Karmijn de Sonnaville; fennel in Hubbardston Nonesuch. Bardsey is more mainstream in my limited experience.
The tree is easy care, with little corrective pruning needed, which is a plus since it is a partial tip bearer. Some folks consider it partially self-fertile. I donāt know.
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Opal are running $1.49 per pound here.
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I just bought some from a local produce store for $0.69/lb. They could be firmer. Must have been discounted for spending too much time at ambient store conditions.
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Hi Maria, I was searching for info on Belmac and came across your post where you werenāt sure thatās what you had. Then i found this photo and description from AgCanada that sounded similar. You may know this already, but Here is the link: http://www.agr.gc.ca/eng/industry-markets-and-trade/international-agri-food-market-intelligence/canada/canadian-apple-industry-varieties-by-province/?id=1410083148449
Hope itās still producing for you no matter what it is! Sue
What varieties grow in Uganda? What are the chill hours?
We have about 40 varieties there, most high-chill, which we ignore. Anna and Dorsett are the first to come into bearing, the others take about 3-5 years to really get going. We tend to lean towards disease-resistance, as itās a moist climate. King David is very popular.
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