I just ate 5 off the tree. It was crunchy, juice, and sweet tart. I will let the rest to turn real red and try them again to see any different.
Tony
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I’m finally starting to win the war. Between flashing on the trees, traps, and rifles the population has drastically slimmed down. Next years big war is rats stealing my hazelnuts.
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The rats and mice are exiting the grain fields in mass and headed for shelter in the trees and fields.
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I’m real glad they come in through Oct-Nov as that’s when most other things i have are finished. good timing.
my graft put on about a foot through the summer and leaves are starting to turn a little. don’t know if it will try to hold fruit next year but I’ll see soon enough, surely
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Yes i love that about Duchess D’ Angoulme as well. I agree with you. Having late or early fruit to extend the season is very helpful to me.
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there’s early missing at my place now, i start to get berries in mid to late July. until then there’s a gap.
hoping the medlar i put in, and these apples, fill in the late season for me!
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Medlars fill in the entire late. That’s one of their good features. They ripen and you can leave them on the tree forever. I plan to experiment this year with bletting some of them on the tree when the frost hits. Interested to see which way taste better.
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Just about the same size as its sibling clarks crabapple my red crabapple is loaded and the fruit is mostly blemish free. It is not growing in clusters like clarks crabapple. It has very deep red fruits. It is October 15th and still could use some hang time.
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I looked at one of my CC topworks from this spring for the first time today. 2 out of 3 scions took and both put on over a foot of growth. Should be good to go I’d think.
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I’m glad you found the right rootstocks. I have some pears out here that have not got over 10 foot on the rootstock i out them on.
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I harvested my small crop today. Measured the sugar content of one apple at just north of 20 brix.
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Was starting to get up there at 20 brix. I suspect next year will be even better. How do you like the flavor balance?
Well i hope everyone is getting them picked and they ripened for you. Im curious if you like them as much as me. One tip i can give you is that if the flavor is not amazing maybe thin your fruits a bit. Douglas pear and harrow sweet are given to over producing and life has taught me you can lose some flavor if you allow to much of that. This apple has never had that issue for me but i noticed it a bit on one growing at another location.
Very sweet, with a pleasant tartness and a hint of sharpness that adds complexity. Good crunchiness, though the skin is a little tough. That toughness probably contributes to their pest resistance, so I can live with it. A month or two ago, I said I think they have a similar taste and texture to pink lady apples, and the extra time on the tree has improved them from there.
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i agree with Dave. they do taste alot like pink lady which is one of my faves.
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Very good report @dgerdem @steveb4 i agree with you that the taste is excellent. It goes without saying that i think its good enough to put my reputation on it. Many told me they would not be as popular as they should be because of the smaller size. Mike @39thparallel was truly surprised when he saw them and tried them. He considers them incredible. I told him i just wanted everyone to have an oppurtunity to grow them for free. No trademarks and no patents. If somebody wants a thousand trees they are welcome to plant them royalty free. We are just a group of friends who like to grow fruit. I think they have a little more balanced apple flavor than most apples. I enjoy the taste of fuji , gala, pink lady as well. I hope they are to everyones taste but i know that is impossible to have everyone like the same apple.
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well i know im grateful you shared them…the lady i work for has a unnamed crab that ive tried several times and it too is excellent. i thought she said it was red fleshed but i must have misheard her. because it wasnt. it was very productive this year because i gave it a good pruning and we dumped a bunch of cow manure around it this spring. because it was so dry the sweetness was the best i have ever seen on a apple here. it also has some spice notes as well. next spring, when i prune it again, i will offer some scions for whomever wants some. its worth sharing even though im not a fan of overly sweet apples. i bet others will enjoy it. its also pretty big for a crab. it ripens in mid sept but there are still alot of apples hanging it there despite it being on a exposed bluff that has wind all the time.
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Very nice sweet-tart flavor. At least as good as some of the organic honeycrisps we’ve been buying at the store. The other one was still a little green so I’m letting it hang a bit more. Sooty blotch was the only issue, cleaned off easily. No sprays, just bagged with Clemson style bags. I am hoping for a bunch more next year!
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