The problem with Golden Delicious is the early coloring sports which are often the ones in grocery stores are horrible tasting. If you have a standard version they can be great.
I am growing one (good) sport and more than half a dozen progeny all of which are great. The only problem is I get a few too many GD-type tasting apples… This year my best tasting one is the parent, Grimes Golden. The aromatics of a Grimes is really special after some aging. The children/sports Hawaii, Suncrisp, Hooples, Mutsu, Rubinette, and Freyberg have all been excellent this year as well.
Found a bin at my local feed store… they were all massively massive. I chose two of the smallest ones which are a meal each.
Taste- Honeycrisp apple cider.
Review- About as annoying of an apple as i have eaten. Crunches and the sounds of my teeth crashing through, my molars crushing them with loud pops… then the mmms. Aftertaste is pure cider.
It gets my money when i see it in the store. I did the best i could to describe it but i will say its different than most other apples. Im not a fan of Honeycrisp but this one has some acid to it and the crunch and mouthfeel is incredible. I can see it making them a fortune… would be a great starter apple for kids for sure.
Something that i didnt note was the skin…it is very thin and while eating you dont notice it at all…as if its not even there.
No clue how old the ones in the bin that had been sitting outside for days was… or even if the ones i got were from a good orchard or bad one… or how much better they could possibly be if fresher etc. Im sure that the ones in the bin were rejects and were probably not prime examples. I am going to try to buy a bag of better quality ones to see if it makes any difference or not.
Looks like it was an accident of sorts from a guy who just planted a bunch of honeycrisp open pollinated seeds. Good for him! (and us).
I have numerous trees on my farm I think some people planted for deer hunting. Im trying to ID them. Maybe planted 15 to 20 years ago. I have one that I think I narrowed down to Grimes golden. This year it had lots of fruit, and bears very close to the stem and in tight clusters. We had a festival with grandkids on Oct 23. Golden delicious were cropped out and dropping badly here in Central Ohio. The apples in question were still hanging and firm and tasty. So maybe 2-3 weeks behind GD. My GD were very nice but I liked this unknown apple better, as it was tarter that GD and had more depth in flavor. Does this sound like GG? Sorry I dont have any pics of it at harvest but it looks like the one at Century Farms website. I have about 10 trees im trying to ID. This one looks like a semi dwarf and others are standards.
I used to think golden delicious were my favorites because I got them from an old farm in amish country. They were often russeted and had a red blush.
The ones in the store and in many u-picks I have gone to have been disspointing. They have a distinctive over-ripe banana note that I dislike, plus the green ones are just bland. The only way I use them is if they are in a discount bag for sauce or pies…
Made my last round of apple buying in the mountains of Virginia. Picked up three different sports of Stayman. On the left is Stark’s Red Stayman. In the center are three Black Stayman. On the right is unknown but maybe the Double Red that Dave Wilson Nursery sells. The Black has slightly thicker skin than your typical Stayman. Same flavor that is unmistakably Stayman.
Same day I got the ones pictured above; I stopped at a mega farm market/greenhouse/bakery that does not grow their own apples but is located within an hour of 5 or 6 apple wholesale orchards that I would expect them to buy from. They had just got in some nice Pink Lady apples but right next to them was the bin of green Staymans that were probably picked 5 weeks ago. They are not doing the buying public any good selling that variety that green. Shame on the orchard that picked and packed that early as well. I posted a similar pick on Oct 2nd of a produce stand hundreds of miles away selling too green Staymans as well. Below are the ones from a few days ago.
Sweet Zinger, a cross of Gold Rush x Sweet 16. Trees sold to growers to plant in 2020 thru the MAIA group. Not a pretty apple to look at. Has low suspectibility to Fireblight and Scab. Not a long keeper like Gold Rush. MAIA recommends all sold by January from mid October harvest. I bought 4 apples 3 weeks ago to see what they tasted like. They have kept fine on the counter so far. Ate one last week and one tonight. Still crisp and fresh tasting. Average sweet tart flavor that was refreshing. Would buy more but not at 2.99 a pound vs 1.49 for most all other apples at the store I was in.
This season, Winesap apples were the best producing and had the least insect damage. Arkansas Black was next best. They are still in storage and should be about ready to eat. MacIntosh were ok, very few apples due to the late April freeze. The Granny Smith apples were a loss due to CAR. We have a beautiful red cedar in our back yard which I like more than the Granny Smith. I will give this apple one more year; do or die.
Over-all, this was a very poor apple year, mostly due to that late frost. Also no peaches or apricots and just a hand full of plums.
