Hello,
I thought I would give a full report about my Arkansas Black tree. I might try to give some reports about all my trees in the next few days. I feel it is very helpful to read about successes and failures especially if someone happens to be in the same or similar growing zone. I’m near Ann Arbor, zone 6a
At my house, Arkansas Black is my last variety to fully ripen. I feel this variety needs to hang on the tree for as long as possible here. Last year I had to pick em before they were fully ripe because frost was coming. This year I was able to let them hang until Nov. 8
Once picked this year, they were fully ripe. Flavor was good with a nice grapey flavor. Flesh was a nice yellow with minimal green streaking. Texture is still pretty hard but will soften in storage. The last few years, I picked them too early and they never really ripened even after months of storage. Again, here it is best to let them hang on the tree until they are as ripe as possible.
My tree is on MM111. This tree is less vigorous than other trees in my orchard also on mm111. Arkansas Black is easy for my to keep pruned to a manageable size.
I have never heard of another variety that keeps in storage as long as Arkansas Black. One of my traditions is to eat the last few of my Arkansas Blacks, while harvesting Monark in early August the following season. The are usually wrinkly, but flavor and texture is still good.
Arkansas Blacks are one of the least disease prone apples in my orchard. I spray 4 times per season with captan, imidan and rally. My blacks were pretty much fungus and bug free with this light regimen. I think it’s the thick skin that keeps the bugs away but not sure.
That’s my assessment. I have not had well aged Arkansas blacks in about 3 years and don’t remember of they were great or not. Wondering if anyone else grows this and can report on flavor. Last 2 years I did not get great flavor because of harvesting too early. I am very hopeful for this year as they taste great now. I have about a bushel.
Thanks
Allow me to introduce you to Goldrush. Fuji also keeps for months and months, and unlike Goldrush, stays much the same. Goldrush loses acidity and becomes sweeter in storage. Both varieties stay crunchy into spring if you control excessive dehydration and keep them quite cool.
Indeed picking for storage is a big challenge. Nearly all commercial apples are picked too early, but if you pick too late they don’t store as long. Overall its better to be on the late side or they won’t have much flavor.
I’ve only had a few long-stored Ark Blacks but they were extremely good. They are one of the apples like Newtown Pippin which improves a lot in storage, they are more or less required to be stored if you are not cooking with them. For AB the flavor gets richer and deeper.
My Newtown PIps are too few too store but are as good to my palate as any apples I’ve harvested this year. I love them right off the tree. As you know, same deal with me for Goldrush which is often considered one of those “improves in storage” types- I actually like them best off the tree, before they become increasingly like Yellow Delicious. I still like them out of my fridge in spring- just not quite as much. Same deal with Spitz- my favorite of all heirlooms- although this year Newtown tastes better to me- by a hair.
Thanks for the report. I’m in a different location but I think that we have had similar experiences with AB. Some have ripened early and some for whatever reason were not so good. I totally agree with you in that the ones that get to hang on the tree the longest end up being a very good apple. I have found that in some cases if they get to stay on the tree long enough they also tend to soften a little but most of the time they are picked at a rock hard stage. The hardness of this apple seems to reject many insects and even some birds.
I have still never tasted Goldrush. None of the orchards near me grow it that I know of. I might put it on my list to graft this spring. Usually I try to taste an apple prior to putting in the effort to grow it, but goldrush seems to be universally liked on here.
One reason for that is if you like a tart apple it’s perfect for from the time you pick it till after about 3 months in storage and then it gradually becomes perfect for sweet-freaks.
Do you have the green type of Newtown? Mine are green with pink blush. I bought the tree from Vintage Virginia Apples and it was sold as Albemarle pippin.
Mine hasen’t impressed me so far, but this year was my first full crop. Hopefully they will be good after a month in storage.
They are the green. I also have the yellow in the nursery. They only just really ripened except for a couple of early birds. This was a tough year for some late apples to ripen properly, and yet some varieties were right on normal sched or even early.
My Rush crop which is more than big enough from two pretty mature trees on 111, did not satisfactorily ripen the entire crop. Some are yellow some are green. The yellows are very good but the greens are so-so, but I have enough yellows to get me through winter as eating raw apples.