We have a GoldRush tree and have purchased GoldRush apples from various orchards in NY state. They always have had a green base with gold and red markings, are russeted, have very dense flesh, and a very strong flavor which gets more mellow in storage. Recently we bought some apples the other orchardist swore were GoldRush (he’s been growing a long time and clearly knows way more about apples than I do), but… they don’t match with the apples we’ve had. They have a yellower base color, are less dense, have no russeting, and are blander in flavor. I thought they must be some variety if Golden Delicious, but he swears they are GoldRush.
He said he leaves them on the trees late and opens the tree up so they get a lot of sun. But still they look and taste like totally different apples to me.
Any ideas about this? Are there different types of apples all called GoldRush?
I picked up a couple of bags of GoldRush the other day at an orchard here in CT. They look just like yours. I actually like them better. They’re firm, a good mix of sweet and sour, and to me they seem to have aromatics that remind me of a ripe Suncrisp. The bad apples in these new bags are very good and the good apples are truly exceptional. I have a bag of GoldRush that I bought from that same orchard in November and they look totally different. I assumed the difference was that they did a better job allowing the ones I just bought to ripen on the tree but the ones I bought in November were picked too green. I hope someone can clear this up.
I’m thinking it’s very possible Adam’s mixed up some orders. I know the owner of the CT orchard is a customer of Adam’s. This may be a widespread mislabel. Can Suncrisp hang on the tree until GoldRush season?
from a quick look online, it looks like there are definitely 2 (maybe more) apples that are being called GoldRush. one of which is more yellow with a red blush and little russeting (like in the photo you posted). While the other is more of a green base covered in yellow, with just a kiss of pink where the sun hits it and much more russeting.
I would bet both are children of yellow delicious (GoldRush is listed as such for sure), but sadly I can’t tell which is the real GoldRush. I would say just keep the differences in mind and only buy the one you like better when you see them both listed as GoldRush.
I believe that commercial orchards sell only one kind of Goldrush and it is never a russet apple- it really hasn’t been around long enough or been successful enough for there to be a bunch of sports- although it certainly is possible that some grower has a sport going- but if it was a russet why call it Goldrush?
Suncrisp looks quite a bit like Goldrush and holds on the tree very well- I can imagine a grower just throwing them together to save them trouble, knowing most wouldn’t know the difference. .
ACN has started selling what they call Early Gold Rush. I’ve ordered a bundle of them and wonder if they are the same as Crunch-a-bunch which is advertised as being almost identical to Goldrush but earlier.
If a Goldrush is in storage long enough it begins to taste like a Yellow Delicious.
Well, I guess I would have called it an apple with some limited amount of russeting, so that the skin feels a tad sand-papery especially near the stem. But these have entirely smooth skin which is unlike the other GoldRush I’ve had. My experience matches Joe’s in that I’ve now had two clearly different apples both called GoldRush, though I prefer the greener, less sweet type. Yes, I know they sweeten in storage, since I’ve stored the other type, but still they’re different. Also, I bought our tree from Adams County and it is definitely of the greener, denser, more tart variety. These ones I just got taste to me like an improved Golden Delicious. I guess I will just have to buy according to looks, as Dudeness suggests.
By the way I found a picture of the other orchard’s GoldRush – these are the ones that I think of as the “real” GoldRush, and as you can see they are a lot greener and have a lot more markings on the skin.
I have Crunch-a-Bunch and Goldrush on the same tree. Aside from being earlier, CaB is bigger (doesn’t bloom as densely), seems lighter (less dense), and seems to have pronounced narrowing on calyx end.
They are also higher quality, although some may be due to better thinning. Goldrush just sets so heavily.
I also have both Gold Rush and Crunch A Bunch. Size-wise, both can be comparable in size if thinned well. I did not thin CaB well this year. They are smaller than last year’s crop.
When fully ripened, GR has deeper yellow than CaB (which has a mellow yellow color).
Texture-wise, GR is denser. Taste wise, off the trees, GR is more tart.
CaB ripens around mid Oct for me in zone 6a. Gold Rush, if I am lucky, would ripen in mid Nov. In reality, GR does not consistently ripen here before hard frost shows up.
I call CaB an early Gold Rush. I like it a lot for a good balance of sweet/tart and a lighter texture which makes it easier and more fun to sink my teeth in. I rate CaB highly off the tree. I think it could last a few month in a fridge but we like them so much they don’t last long.
GoldRush will be rated high after a month or two in storage. I have kept GR into April and the apples still tasted good.
My son ordered me a CB several years ago. It was set back by pine voles but if it was Goldrush it would be loaded with fruit this year, and it is barren. I also grafted it on a Goldrush 3 years ago- the Goldrush had been growing in my nursery for a year and the CB is the upper half of the tree now- the GR part is loaded with fruit but CB is blank.
The precocity of GR is distinctive and can be a big asset, it means that it’s easy to manage on 111 without that much pruning, even with my 15 year old trees. However, it will be a few years before I know how CB behaves but no one likes to wait extra years for fruit. On the other hand, if I want annual bearing from GR I have to thin like mad, beginning with whole clusters of flowers in early spring. I start off by removing more than half the flower clusters- often before they’ve opened. So I guess that’s as time consuming as pruning.
I have only recently begun growing ACN’s “Early Goldrush” and am looking forward to seeing how it compares to CB. By next year I will know if it’s as precocious as regular GR.
I am surprised you have so much trouble ripening GR. In recent years it has consistently ripened here with the increasing warmth of fall. This fall has been rather cool but something about the season has accelerated the ripening of most varieties- I have no idea what unless excessive rain is involved, which makes no sense. GR is starting to yellow up so I’m confident of a good crop of ripe ones. I don’t mean that every apple will reach perfect ripeness, but I expect the majority will.
I have my two trees of it deliberately planted where it gets best Oct light on my property. In summer, other spots have better exposure due to location of tall forest trees on the edge and the particular slope of my land.
It has taken me years to figure out the best spots to grow particular species on my unusual property, but that is partially due to a failure of observation on my part. You need to be aware of the light in the 3-4 weeks leading up to harvest at any given spot. Those are the most crucial, I think.
At the same time, I planted what I have planned to be my future stone fruit orchard on the part of my property that gets first morning sun and is the highest point on my land, so presumably the most “frost free”, but this year those trees were frozen out while trees where morning cold is held in longer were successful. That was one piece of the evidence that drew me to the conclusion that trees in what would normally be the worse location on my property were saved by the colder winter temps preceding the winter low in the first week of Feb. That low was on a breezy night and early morning so elevation and air drainage wasn’t a factor, but I’m theorizing that the trees lower on my property were more hardened off by preceding colder temps in January.
My Gold Rush is on M 7 and started fruiting in year 4. However, if I don’t do a good job thinning them, the tree will go biennial. So its precociousness is dampened by its tendency to go biennial, IMO.
My Gold Rush look like the one in @JayCo ’s, post # 5/6. I believe mine is a real deal.
This tree gets 7-8 hours of sun which, for my tree, is a lot considering other trees only get an average of 5 hours of sun a day.
My GR is consistently late ripening. Often it does not ripen in time.
My Goldrush look like the ones in the bulk bin in the picture you posted.
The picture shows some rot and some splits too. The defects are much worse on my Goldrush.
Noticed the picture comes from an orchard in New York called Prospect Hill Orchards. One of their orchards sells some organic Apples which was interesting. I would visit all three of their orchards if I was closer
@alan Yes, I do. I typically let Gold Rush apples on the tree until low temp hits 25 F. I plan to do the same this year but it is a very light year. Only half a dozen left on the tree after animals damaged and caused premature drops of several.
I saw bird pecked on one Gold Rush. I thought it would go after my red apples but it pecked this green one.
Agree that in a couple of weeks it will be better. That’s why I mentioned a Halloween date. I hope yellow jackets and birds won’t ruin the remaining GR before I get a chance.
