Hi all,
A neighbor has a beautiful old apple tree with HUGE apples on it; only ones I’ve ever seen to compare would be wolf river.
Just wanted to get your input on what you think it is- from what I’m reading it looks like Baldwin. Very large Baldwin.
The fruit looks so beautiful on the tree this time of year and I’m hoping they hang on when we get our first snow here in midcoast Maine.
Thanks,
-Jeremiah
That is a beautiful sight!
It looks like Baldwin and it was the most popular apple in that time period. Baldwin varies in size and can get really big.
If it snows soon get out the camera, it would be a beautiful shot!
Here Baldwin drops well before defoliation. It is not a sticker and drops during a long period because it ripens over a long period. I also expect a wider range in coloration with some apples a bit russet and orange.
There also tends to be a wider size range on any given tree. I manage a lot of very old Baldwins as well as a few young trees, including two in my own orchard. To my tastes, off the tree, it can be as good as any apple there is but becomes soft too quickly in storage although it will keep a long time in that softer state. It also drops almost the moment it reaches perfection.
All those apples on a tree without leaves is an unusual site that I’ve only seen a few apples capable of, but I’m in a warmer zone here in southeastern NY so I don’t know if a shorter growing season might change such a fundamental characteristic I doubt it has in this case because the apples look fully ripe…
It is a fine trait for feeding birds into winter. Here, Goldrush and Pink Lady do that but I don’t know of reds that do. I’ll keep my eyes open for similar looking heirloom apples still hanging on the tree here. There is such an apple surplus that even the animals are overwhelmed so apples are staying put, either on the ground or on the tree.
In our area the surplus hit us last year. This year has been the year of light crops. Preserve and put back as much of your crop as you can.
Those don’t look like Baldwin to me, not enough white lenticles and more stripey than Baldwin. Great looking apples, though!
