I couldn’t help being intrigued after stumbling across a description of this apple:
“Moderately sweet, juicy with watermellon and tropical fruit flavours. Sugar and acidity levels are well balanced.”
Does anyone know much about it? It isn’t available in the US, is it?
I did some quick research. FWIW, the source states that it is better known as Early Golden.
It is not the same as Hudson’s Golden Gem.
I’m not quite sure what you mean by that; “the source”? Which source, exactly? The one I shared mentions nothing about an “Early Golden” anywhere.
But yes, that is correct, it is not at all the same as Hudson’s Golden Gem. It does describe it as being a cross of Cox’s Orange Pippin and Golden Delicious, but that seems unusual, perhaps even far-fetched, given that the fruit that’s pictured doesn’t even reach 1" in diameter (that is, unless there is some error and the fruit in the photo is somehow different than what’s being described…in other words, could it be possible that the ‘Golden Gem’ crabapple of the UK and the ‘Golden Gem’ of South Africa are two different apples?)
I haven’t heard of Golden Gem but the list of varieties that are crosses of Golden and Cox is long indeed. Every breeder out there wanted the complex flavors in Cox but with more sugar.
It is vaguely possible that the pictures shown by Pomiferous could be correct, that is a crabapple.
However, most likely Pomiferous has screwed up here and got there information wrong. They are notorious for it.
I see golden gem crabapple sold in england pretty regularg when i google. It looms similar to golden hornet in the u.s. but no idea if its the same apple.
If you’d get literally unheard of flavors it would be a decent chance it’s in an orange fleshed crab, that makes sense in my mind
Just need an Etter to cross it to make a Muscat de Venus: Watermelon edition
Pomiferous also describes sonya /nelvson as watermelon.
But then again skillcut says lucy glo tastes like a banana and i do not remotely taste that so idk
That entry is all jumbled up, the “Golden Gem” in the picture is a crab. The apple shape and taste description is that for Freyberg so I think something got swapped somewhere perhaps. The “origins” is not for Freyberg though, so it could also be a similar apple with the same parents but bred elsewhere. Freyberg is from New Zealand, not South Africa.
Freyberg is really is a unique apple for flavor and it does have those flavors in it. Too bad it’s such a rotter!
I wouldn’t get worked up over apple flavor descriptions. There is always a healthy chance the apple won’t taste the same in your locale due to soil or ripening conditions/climate zone.
This apple is extremely unusual and probably would grow better up north since it has Northern Spy x Rome parentage.
The aroma from this apple is off the charts. Very exotic.
Description: Fruit medium size or above, roundish conical; skin bright yellow occasionally blushed with red. Flesh pale yellow, crisp, juicy, mild subacid. This apple has an excellent flavor that often tastes very similar to a pineapple. Very suscepitble to fungal diseases. Ripe October and keeps well.
History: Listed but not described in the 1928 catalog of the Ideal Nursery and Orchard, Smithville, Tennessee. Listed as extinct in the first edition of Lee Calhoun’s book, but a single old tree has been found by Tom Brown at the home of Hershel Green in Watauga County, North Carolina.\
Apple Index - “Black Limbertwig to Bushy Top” | NC Historic Sites
Yes, it is true that there’s a chance it may not be the same…yet, respectfully, I disagree with your first sentence. I also think there could be a possibility that it could taste good in my climate, and I believe that even if such a chance is small, it’s at least worth a try.
Many good things in this world come about by those who give something with slim chances a try.
