Best tasting apples

General Fruit Growing
#581

A local farmer here told me they were the worst fireblight magnet. Threatened to ruin his entire business. He scrambled for days to cut them out.

I ate an apple from him years ago that was either Egremont Russet or Pomme Gris. It was amazing. Nutty flavor. Russeted green brown appearance. Dense/ crisp. Hints of pear, coconut, and a balanced sweet-tart flavor with strong but pleasant savory component.

I want to try planting Egremont to solve this mystery, but am frightened to cuz of the blight risk.

I already have Pomme Gris grafted in. Supposed to be similar eating experience, but grower friendly taboot.

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#582

When I think of " nutty flavor" I think of it tasting like an unripe apple that is too starchy. Am I wrong in this thinking?

#583

No. They’re different flavors.

#584

Thank you for the clarification. I need to taste some of these.

#585

Egremont also rots like crazy. If you are in a better climate its an awesome apple, but definitely not for the mid-atlantic!

Matt, the green-brown sounds more like Pomme Gris, it often keeps a bit of green. It is very flat compared to ER.

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#586

Does in cental Iowa too.

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#587

In reading my last post about best tasting apples, it seems good to let you know just how wonderful Twenty Ounce/Blessing and Hunt Russet were this season. Both were new experiences and really impressive. I did not expect the flavors to survive baking when making pie with Twenty Ounce/Blessing. I can let it grow only maybe two fruits next season so it gains size and make many more in future!

Hunt Russet has already been described, and is now a contender for my favorite apple. Winesap may move to a close second if Hunt makes as strong a statement as the debut fruits made.

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#588

What is a better climate? I would think that perpetually rainy England would be as bad as you could get.

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#589

England’s humidity is not as hot and stuffy as what we have in the Eastern U.S.

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#590

Here are some of my favorites…note I tend to like an apple on the sweeter side…
Braeburn
Cortland
Empire
Macoun
Ribston Pippin
Crimson Crisp
Fuji (when well grown)
Gala (when picked ripe)
Gold Rush
Golden Delicious (tree ripened)
Golden Russet
NW Greening
Hubbardston Nonesuch
Jonagold
King of Tomkins County
McIntosh (tree ripened)
Mutsu
Opal
Fallawater
William’s Pride
Victoria Sweet (a favorite as a child…very sweet, no acid)

5 Likes
#591

Not only is it less hot in England, when its not raining the humidity in the air is less.

Any place in the drier western US or Canada as well as most of Europe should be good for it.

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#592

So there are more apple diseases, or more significant apple diseases, in hot humidity conditions than cool humidity? Would that make the southeastern US the worst place in the US for most apple diseases? That would make sense.

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#593

As well as peach diseases, plum diseases, cherry diseases, pear diseases, apricot diseases, strawberry diseases, raspberry diseases, blackberry diseases, grape diseases… :wink:

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#594

Hmmm wonder about the upper midwest then

#595

I’ll have to look for the Victoria Sweet. I was looking to get a really sweet apple.

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#596

May I ask how old your Hunt Russet tree is? Are they big apples or sort of small?
I had looked at that variety but for some reason I did not buy one. I’ll have to look that information up again to see why I did not order one.

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#597

Victoria Sweet is a deep red fall apple. Ripens in September. Very Sweet almost like maple syrup. Fairly rare. From Chenango County NY maybe 1800s.

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#598

That sounds like the type of apple that my family would really enjoy. I will try to look for this apple.

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#599

Hunt Russet came as a bench graft in '14, standing on dwarfing root stock: P2. This was its first bloom. I allowed it to keep only two fruits. One was rather large and the other large; both beautifully red (lots of sun here) over deep green and extremely good, with 18 Brix! Had no idea. It blooms late and ripens rather late. If there were a crop, I might be able to report on its keeping qualities, which are reputed to go to May or June.

With its complex taste and high sugar content, it would be a fine addition or base for cider. If I planted an orchard, I would graft a row of these. Somewhere I have read it can be fire blight sensitive, but FB pressure is not high here and the only strike observed was on something else - 20 Ounce.

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#600

Sounds like one to try out here in my orchard. I think my main reason not to but one earlier was because I had not talked with anyone that actually had one. What you read is sometimes ( most of the time actually) in the catalogs never matches what the apple tree actually does produce.

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