Very interesting forum, been reading and learning. I would like to pick your brains on the following: which variety of apple has a strong aroma/scent when ripe or after sitting on the counter for a couple of days. I’ve read the descriptions and lists of apple varieties which are focused on characteristics such as crisp or crunch, sweet and tart, but no one hardly seems to mention the fragrance of the apple.
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I think that falls under apples listed as aromatic in their taste. For example the Bohemian Rose Apple smells strongly of rosewater they claim.
Funny I thought it was a German apple. But turns out it is a Czech apple of a different name.
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Thanks, but I was thinking more along the lines of just a normal apple smell that wafts in the air. The apples I have tried at Farmers markets (Fuji etc) although pleasant tasting have zero aroma. Didn’t apples, especially red varieties, used to have an associated fragrance?
Macintosh is one of the more aromatic varieties I’ve eaten/been around
Welcome to the forum @Mcjuj
I have a “wild” roadside apple that i have been picking for years. Some of them have a fragrance that reminds me Wrigleys JuicyFruit gum. Not all of the apples from this tree have that fragrance, but the ones that do have that added flavor as well.
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Two I grow are Captain Davis and Springdale.
Captain Davis I knew from Steve Kelley’s description, but Springdale was a surprise.
Loaded up a half bushel in the trunk last fall and it was amazing.
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I found a roadside peach tree about 30 years ago that had an amazing aroma. A small bag of peaches would perfume my home. I’ve never met an apple with that level of aroma.
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Well-ripened Red Delicious has a strong aroma. And many old varieties. (One of the reasons why I grow them.) We store RD in a room of an old unheated house. When you walk in, you are hit by this heavenly scent. (One redeeming quality of RD as they are too sweet for me.)
On another note, I once bought RD at the store in spring and… Nothing. At.All.
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But if you want a scented fruit, get a quince. I the past, they were put into dressers or on shelves to perfume linens and rooms.
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Aromatic-Aroma
See the connection? There are many Apples with feint scents…Banana, fennel, Anise, Caramel, Grape, Wine and others.
Strength of the scent is driven by many factors. Like long storing brings out a stronger scent. Different Weather.
I think it was Mr.Joyner at Horse Creek who said in 30 years walking by it; he never knew the sweet banana scent of Summer Banana Apple until he walked by the tree in the orchard one day and it hit him like a bat.
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Reportedly Cornish Aromatic (as the name suggests) - we’re growing it but haven’t gotten fruit yet.
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I also got Captain Davis from Steve Kelley but alas it has yet to fruit. A few blooms this year but no fruit set. Looking even more forward to it now!
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Very cool suggestions that haven’t come up in my searches (other than Macintosh).
I was wondering about Red delicious and Gala, maybe worth growing in home orchard for this reason.
This is why I made 3 grafts of hawkeye Red Delicious a few weeks ago.
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The first apple I thought of when I read the question was Gravenstein. A bowl of ripening Gravenstein fills the whole kitchen with its scent. Additionally, ripe Glockenapfel begins to smell too.
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