Hello,
Does anyone have any background information on NJ46 Strawberry Parfait apples?
Does the name NJ46 (New Jersey?) indicate a breeding program?
I see a paper on Google Scholar showing it was planted at an experimental station in 1974 but no background specifics.
Let me know of you know anything about this one!
Thanks
I know they are early, and delicious. Ripe here mid to late July. They are almost mealy when red and so the texture is better when not as colored. Tree is only an average grower at best…slower then many. Everyone I let try them liked them.
I’m sure you were wanting info on parentage, but limited experience is all I’ve got. Zone 7b to 8a in central Arizona here.
The PRI disease resistant apple breeding program is cooperative among Purdue University, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , and the University of Illinois. The program was initiated in 1945 to breed apples resistant to scab caused by the fungal pathogen Venturia inaequalis.
Perhaps NJ 46, Strawberry Parfait, is part of this program. I have seen other apples labled as NJ, but i never realized there was a connection to the PRI program.
According to Dan Bussey (illustrated history of apples in the united states and Canada):
Strawberry Parfait is noted from being from Rutgers University, distributed by the Sonoma Antique Apple Nursery in CA in 1992. Red stripes over ivory skin. Very good flavor. Not a keeper. Ripens early zone 5-9.
Hope that helps you in the search for more info. I’ll keep digging today if I find a spare minute, I enjoy sleuthing on a cold day.
Update: Orange pippin description: Strawberry Parfait is an early season variety with red-splashed flesh “like strawberries in vanilla ice cream”. Fruit is striped red over ivory skin. Flesh is soft and doesn’t keep well. On a warm day, and if the fruit is a little overripe, you can get a distinct scent of strawberries as you pass by the tree. Previously grown as NJ 46.
Update #2: If you are curious as to parentage, there is some background info of the original PRI scab resistant parentage here: historyPRI.pdf (550.0 KB)
Although NJ46 is not mentioned specifically, could be from one of the many “spinoff” plantings mentioned at the end of the paper.
It’s still available from Trees of Antiquity, which is a descendent of that Sonoma nursery.
We grow it here on the coast north of San Francisco, and it’s a reliable early ripener with a unique flavor and aroma. The texture is pear-like. It’s attractive, too. We really enjoy it.
I haven’t been able to find any more background on it beyond what’s already been described above, unfortunately.
Thanks all for the information! I will keep digging and see what else, if anything, I can piece together.
I imagine someone spent a fair amount of time developing the variety so there is bound to be more information out there somewhere 
I asked the Rutgers librarians for help and they did a great job by turning up the following …
The Montana Experimental Agriculture Station published, “Preliminary Evaluation of Some Summer and Early Fall Apple Cultivars for Western Montana,” bulletin 739, November 1981, which had the following on NJ46:
They were also kind enough to reach out to the Director at the agricultural station who added:
“NJ46 is an apple selection from the NJAES Tree Fruit Breeding Program. It was selected from a progeny derived by crossing ‘Mollie’s Delicious’ x ‘Julyred’. It is described as a 3”, full red apple, medium firm, good quality. It ripens about 3 weeks before 'Mollie’s Delicious."
I wonder how Orange Pippin linked NJ46 to being the same as Strawberry Parfait?
Thanks for the update! Now I kind of want to grow it…
They may well have picked that up from Trees of Antiquity (or Sonoma Antique Apple Nursery). It’s also mentioned in Seed Savers’ Fruit, Nut and Berry Inventory (which was one of Dan Bussey’s sources). All of the brief descriptions that I’ve seen are pretty similar.
How does the color version of the photo compare to the NJ46/Strawberry Parfait apples you all are growing?
Do you have any photos to share?
I don’t have any to share, myself. I should take some this season. Perhaps @joleneakamama has some.
I can tell you that mine are somewhat darker that shown in the Montana photo, and they have still darker streaks. They take a high polish and are pretty striking. Fragrant, too.
I contacted the current owner at Trees of Antiquity (formerly Sonoma Antique Apple Nursery) and they confirmed NJ46 is what they now call Strawberry Parfait.
Please do!
The University of Idaho Sandpint Organic Agricultural Center has a nice photo of Strawberry Parfait (and other apples):
https://www.uidaho.edu/cals/sandpoint-organic-agriculture-center/apple
Ours would be very mealy before they were that red. Hubby likes them best at about half colored.
Yep, I’d call that one overripe, too.
Have you read about growing this apple in your climate? Curious how it does outside of areas listed above; CA, AZ, Idaho, NJ, etc.
Can someone elaborate on texture and flavor if grown in the Midwest?
I am not aware of anyone that has grown it around me.
Looks like @derekamills grows it in Ohio, according to his scionwood list. Perhaps he’ll be able to chime in.
Picked up my first drop of the season this morning. It was fully ripe, highly colored inside and out, but still not mushy. Should have taken a photo before I gobbled it down, but I’ll shoot the next one. There’s a good crop on the tree, as usual.
It was sweet, fragrant, and quite tasty.
