I thought I would share my posting over at Adam’s Apple on Chenago Strawberry since this one gets little play. If you go over there you might want to glance at my reviews of Dayton, Mother also, two other apples that seem to get little attention.
the fluffy bunnyAugust 18, 2021 at 12:34 PM
As others commented I sincerely doubt you tasted a Chenago Strawberry based on your commentary and the pictures, it really is a very distinct fruit with a rather striking appearance.
Straight up, this is a connoisseurs fruit and is grower unfriendly. It is very hard to catch at its zenith and gives you a couple of false starts. For one, about 6 weeks before it is ripe it gives off a very odorous strawberry scent, drawing ever critter in the area to sample a bite, which ultimately works to your advantage for after sampling these wholly unripe specimens they will tend to leave the survivors alone. The smell however is heavenly and gives you hope. At best Chenago Strawberry has a firm, frothy texture, with a genuine whiff of strawberry scent and a slightly sprightly apple and diluted strawberry taste. The apple taste is reminiscent of a less sharp Bramley’s Seedling with a hint of Jonathan thrown in with some strawberry thrown in for good measure.
Its deficiencies for the grower are many. At its best it is firm and frothy, not ever crisp. It turns to mush quickly, it bruises if you look at it too hard, it drops like crazy and at least ½ the fruit will end up on the ground and yet paradoxically it will hang on the tree when ripe until it rots away. On the plus side it seems to self-thin and is vigorous as well as exhibiting levels of disease resistance. It is however an animal magnet when vastly underripe. Moreover it ripens over several weeks necessitating constant watching. As my old friend Ed Fackler would say, some antique apples deserve to be extinct, and if I was a grower that would be my attitude toward this one.
However for the connoisseur home grower this is an intriguing apple and it has its merits. For one it ripens over several weeks, which works well with this apple as it simply won’t keep. One tip I will pass on is this apple has an interesting characteristic. If it is past its prime, simply toss it into the freezer for a bit and it quickly turns into a natural and absolutely natural apple sorbet. Eat is as such on a hot late summer day and your opinion on this one will change. That mushy disposition quickly becomes as asset with the assistance of a freezer.
Next, it Is vigorous, and disease resistant. It is a show case quality fruit and make a stunning yard accent when espaliered. Speaking of which the only way I recommend growing this one is as an espalier. This tree excels in that form and most of its deficiencies are easily cured by placing it in a prominent location in your yard where you pass by it on a daily basis and can easily catch each fruit at its peak. As I said it makes a lovely specimen in espalier form and here it disease resistance pays off. I have never noted a biennial tendency in this apple. It is a very reliable cropper.
As I said it is a connoisseur fruit, with its own unique taste, smell, and texture. Part of being a connoisseur is not brining a preconceived notion of what a fruit it suppose to be like and imbibe in the fruit based on its own merits. Most people have a very narrow range of what they like in apples and for those with a preconceived idea of what an apple should be this is likely to be a poor choice.
the fluffy bunny