It died due to our over 100 degree days for a month and half july and Aug. Really tough on trees, even in the shade.
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Beautiful, and I like how you’ve shared the clean cut fruit too.
Mine has 10 or so fruit this year on a backup graft. I agree that it is good. It’s low in the canopy on the North side, so maybe ripening a little slow.
One thing that is great about Gold Rush is that it is especially precocious and reliably bearing. I’m not sure if that is also true about Crunch a Bunch. My tree is taking its sweet time to make fruit, but also is on a more vigorous rootstock than I am used to.
Also agree that the name is stupid.
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No acidity my friend, even on picking days! The reason ? I could have picked them a month ago… but if you harvest later, you lose the acidity and it stays on the tree. This extends the shelf life.
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Quick question: do you mean fully ripened Gold Rush without storage? I don’t think I am having any issues with Gold Rush here in zone 5. Am I missing something by not having a longer grow time?
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Yes, Gold Rush hardly ever ripens fully here.
I have them for several years now.
New England sun is not strong. Our summer is not that hot (generally speaking).
I am not surprised if your zone 5 area has good sun exposure and can ripen them. Midwest growers even in zone 5 like @tonyOmahaz5 can ripen his fruit two week before me.
@JesseinMaine zone 4? is successful ripening his Gold Rush. I and people near me like @galinas , @SMC_zone6 have experienced GR not ripen in time. It is what your climate like more than your zone.
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Arthus
You are in zone 7. You get a better condition to ripen RL Calypso. So you get a better result.
That’s why growing fruit is like real estate location, location, location.
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My Crunch A Bunch is on a M 27, super dwarf. Had I known the apple will be this good, I would have ordered a larger rootstock.
My Gold Rush is on M 7. It has produced biennially for me.
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My Gold Rush I grafted to the West side of a tree that was here when I bought the place. Seems more vigorous than M26, but was already mature. Goldrush is the most consistent and heavy bearer, even this year when many apples set little or nothing in my orchard.
I had to choose between ultra-dwarf and vigorous, so I chose the latter and put it as the first pioneer tree on a recently reclaimed north facing hillside. I figured extra vigor and hardiness were called for, and certainly not babying an M27. In fact, the only tree I’ve grown on M27 was a super runted Honeycrisp.
My backup graft of Crunch a Bunch has born 2 years counting this one, and the stand alone tree has yet to flower.
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Even with my diligent thinning fruitlets off, my Gold Rush on M 7 has continued to be biennial, very frustrating. Worse, GR does not reliably ripen here so I am converting the tree to other varieties.
Crunch A Bunch on M 27, as expected, fruited early by the next year after planting. I need more of Crunch A Bunch. Everyone I gave it to has raved about this variety, too, not just me.
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The Spitzenberg is a dense, crisp, spicy, and very flavorful apple. It is supposed to get better after being stored for a few months. Tastes of a sharp, sweet combination. One of the best tasting apple I have tasted. I am glad I have added this apple to my orchard. There are no orchards around me that grows this variety.
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Nice looking apple. How does it taste?
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Thank you very much! I will have scions of this one…
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Yes! EsoSpitz, Goldrush and Ashmead’s Kernel - the 3 “bombs”, for me.
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It has always seemed odd to me that such a late ripening variety was developed in Minnesota.
Our Gold Rush has yet to blossom, so I can’t say how well it will ripen here in the Finger Lakes, but several orchards around here grow it.
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I think you have a better chance if you plant it in full sun. Mine got about 8 hours of sun in the summer which is a good amount.
There was one season that my GR apples reached a golden color stage.
This year we had a summer drought with hot and sunny weather for months. So far, GR has colored up. They may not turn golden but they have been further along than most years at this time.
Do you grow Hoople’s Antique Gold? That’s a beautiful apple with taste that matches the look.
Here’s hoping.
Since I already have seven or eight varieties with Golden Delicious as one parent, plus a Grimes, I’ve opted against Hoople’s Antique Gold, but I know it is a good one.
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May I ask, what are the 7-8 Golden Delicious descendants that you keep, please?
Autumn Crisp
Dorsett Golden
Gold Rush
Honeycrisp (distant)
Hudson’s Golden Gem (possible)
Jonagold
Spigold
Calmoutier (discovered on the Schlabach farm near the town of Calmoutier, in Holmes County, Ohio. Calmoutier is pronounced Calmoosh)
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