I agree with you about the taste of the Liberty apple. A lot of hype to this apple but the taste was nothing that was great or even so -so. A 1 out of 10 scale I would give it a 4.5.
A friend of mine put in one a few years after I took my tree out and was disappointed in the quality of it as well. Maybe in other locations it would be a better apple but around here it is nothing I would grow again.
2 Likes
Here are some others that I know are grown in PNW and may meet your requirements: Akane, Honey crisp, Belle de Boskoop, Melrose, gold rush, Ashmeads, newton pippin, king David, prima, pristine, karmijn, Enterprise, wickson crab,alkmene, Hudson golden gem, golden delicious, spartan, Rubinette, Williams pride, chehalis and Roxbury russet. That’s quite a few choices. In my yard I have Gold rush, Honey crisp, Golden delicious, Ashmeads Kernel and Egremont Russet. If I had room for another I would Belle de Boskoop, karmijn or akane.
3 Likes
Hi,
Cummings actually does have some apply trees left and have a 30% discount on all 2022 fruit trees available until May 9th.
1 Like
Sorry apply=apple
2 Likes
Apply noted… 
2 Likes
Golden Russet is probably my favorite apple and I’d pick it over Ashmead’s Kernel, which can be downright sour. You’ve got that covered already with Goldrush, which has a much crisper texture, although dense.
Crunch-A-Bunch is supposed to be similar, but not as hard/dense. I like hard apples though.
Golden Russet has an ungainly growth habit, if that matters to you.
1 Like
That is something I’ve looked at. That was actually the nursery I was looking at for 2023. One question for semi dwarf/dwarf, what root stock would you go for? There are so many Geneva types, I thought I had issues narrowing down just apples.
1 Like
I’m not a huge Mcintosh fan, so maybe that’s why I’m also not a huge Liberty fan. I have had a few that were dead ripe and still with nice texture that were pretty good for fresh eating. Most that I’ve eaten have been too tart when not dead ripe, or mushy when the flavor is good. I do think they’ll be a great addition to sweet cider however. Hopefully this year I’ll get to find out.
4 Likes
Hi,
I am far from an expert and I am sure others can give you advice on rootstock. Cummins is a good place to ask questions. Not to temp you but Cummins has a grab bag of 10 trees for $65.00. They pick the trees. They also have a sale of 40% off of the 2022 fruit trees that are available.
2 Likes
Gold Rush will probably be your best keeper apple. It is very flavorful, even the next summer or fall. Liberty is a classic. It is mid season, it can be grown easily without disease pressure. High in antioxidants. Productive. Fairly small apples. I would taste Hudson’s GOlden Gem before buying. Some people love it. I find it bland. Grimes GOlden is one of the best pollinators you can grow for a real apple. I think it tastes better than Winter Banana, which is another great pollinator. Ashmead’s Kernel is a very dense apple. Not one of my favorites. GOlden Russet is a classic good apple.
JohN S
PDX OR
3 Likes
You are close enough to Mt. Hood that I suspect a Mountain Rose (also known as Hidden Rose if not grown on the mountain proper) would do well:
This would be especially true if you are interested in red flesh at all.
1 Like