Best tasting apples

[Chikn]

I have Muscat de Venus in my garden

I missed your post on this apple. A delight to eat, quite vinous on good years. A fire blight magnet for me!

[Boizeau]

Could save seeds of Opal and plant them, or graft seedlings onto dwarf Rootstock to see what you have.

[BlueBerry]

I planted a dozen seeds of Opal last spring. Three survive, but none looked healthy.
I’d suspect you’d have to pick a disease free pollen donor to get a good offspring of Opal.

[hambone]

When I have cider tastings in my living room (pre-Covid) I sometimes invite a chef and a local wine guy for their amazing tasters, fun to hear their take.

[ammoun]

Very pretty, did you get that in the US?

[Paul]

Thanks, no I am in Europe

[Luisport]

I love this apples. It’s red love odysso. They are crunchy, sweet and tart. Very pleasant!

[Vincent_8B]

Cosmic Crisp Apple.9/20

[mrsg47]

A beauty.

[alan]

I’m harvesting my small crop of Baldwins now. They tend to ripen gradually and fall off the tree the moment they are ripe. Therefore, commercial growers tend to pick them green before they reach full flavor-whence taste test ratings for it have historically fluctuated from top of its class to mediocre.

Add the fact that it only performs at its best in light soils and a rather narrow weather range.

I love dense apples with a mix of sweet and tart and plenty of true apple flavor, I love a perfect Baldwin and I live in its range in S.NY. Burford said it used to be a great apple in VA but that the climate has changed all that.

Because it’s such a dense apple it can fall ripe on grass and not bruise.

[ncguire]

How would you define their ideal weather range? I have been considering grafting a Baldwin tree, as they were highly recommended for growing in the rocky mtn region as a cider apple in Claude Joliqoeur’s book.

[alan]

The ideal weather range would be where it performs well.

Kidding, but I think it’s about how long the season is. You don’t want it ripening when it’s still hot but want it to ripen before first drop below about 22F. Usually it ripens later here, but we’ve had a lot of blue sky days in the last few of months with less than normal rainfall. Days have mostly been in the low 70’s though, warm not hot. It ripens fine in somewhat cooler temps.

What do you have to lose in trialing it? It’s a multi-use apple.

[Auburn]

Ate my first ever Sundowner apple today. Somewhat like a Pink Lady but different. Sweet/crisp/just enough tart to be very good.

[barry]

How is the color on your ripe sundowner? Mine are still mostly green with maybe 25% coverage of light pink blush. I have not picked any yet. I have exactly 9 of them hanging.

I’ve picked most of the goldrush. They have been very good, and a few of them have been in amazing territory. Some have a hint of fennel flavor, or maybe it is the anise that people have mentioned in the golden delicious types. Ive noticed the ones that have a lot of yellow lack much of the acidic zing that makes goldrush so good, but they are super sweet. So I’m picking earlier when just a little yellow is showing up. They are better balanced and still plenty sweet.

[Auburn]

How is the color on your ripe sundowner? Mine are still mostly green with maybe 25% coverage of light pink blush. I have not picked any yet. I have exactly 9 of them hanging.

The one I ate today probably had a little more color but similar to yours. I have one more and I had planned to let it hang a little longer. I will take a picture of it.

[californicus]

How do these home-grown Comic Crisps compare to the ones from the stores?

[Vincent_8B]

@californicus. They’re tasting excellent quality as the ones we bought from store. Vincent

[BlueBerry]

I came home with fresh-picked Red Delicious from Michigan…splendid.
(Too bad the ones from controlled storage don’t taste like these!)
Reminded me
of picking apples 40 years ago and eating quite a few as I picked tree-ripened fruits.

[joleneakamama]

I have 2 hawkeyes ripening and about done. Looking forward to tasting them.

[ribs1]

Hawkeye is fantastic when ripened well.