Yes I know it’s been beat to death but a search on this forum does not show an exact thread.
I am to the point of having very few spaces left for apple trees and want to finish with what the most people/friends would be happy to be gifted. Most of my friends don’t know about apples so are easily impressed but I want your opinion.
I searched another board and it was all over the place listing every apple that I have ever heard of.
My favorites are Honeycrisp and Cortland of which I have four each. Added a couple of Zestar! for an Early apple.
I do have 5 other varieties at 1 tree each.
My last few spots have to be special.
My thoughts are
Pink Lady?
I would give BIG money for a SweeTango but no joy.
Jazz?
I’ll even go so far as to say that whatever gets the most votes in this thread is what I will plant assuming that I can find it. Thanks!
Red (Myra) Fuji. Off my own tree. Hand’s down the best out of hand eating apple I’ve ever had. Knocked my socks off. PInk Lady is like a B (great apple, don’t get me wrong, it earned a spot in my walk & pick orchard), Myra Fuji is an A+.
Currently I am a Pink Lady fan if you can grow it in your zone (needs a long growing season). Planted some Maslin this year, supposedly meets Pink Lady standards but matures 3-4 weeks earlier.
Turkey,
“Maslin” is the superior Pink Lady cultivar IMHO.
Daemon,
Here’s a list of my favorite eaters by month:
JULY
Lodi-
I suspect others will surpass it, but for now Lodi is my only dependable July apple. Not saying much as its flavor and texture are subpar.
AUGUST
Red Gravenstein-
Hands down, one of the most delicious apples.
(In August, Gingergold is a close second, and keeps longer).
SEPTEMBER
Honeycrisp-
No suprise. Another truly incredible apple. Here, they are best eaten fresh, in September.
OCTOBER
Roxbury Russet-
These things are amazingly sweet and delicious. Best eaten sliced for the table. Great texture.
(Stayman Winesap is an honorable mention).
NOVEMBER
Pink Lady Maslin-
Beautiful pink orbs. Crisp spritely flavor. Suites the season. Best apple of November here.
DECEMBER, JANUARY & FEBRUARY
Goldrush-
December is when Goldrush has its best flavor and texture here, though some will keep as late as the following May and still taste good!
MARCH
Red Fuji-
If kept in cold storage, Red Fuji can slowly sweeten up and be suprisingly juicy and delicious. The best Red Fuji I ever had was a locally-grown batch I ate in March! I was really glad to have them then. At the time, the snow was still a foot deep on the ground!
EDITOR’S NOTE
I suppose I should mention that Honeycrisp is my all-time favorite eater, if I had to pick just one.
I’m surprised we don’t hear more about this variety if what you say (and a lot of others too) is true.
I might put this on my short list to try. I’m fond of strong and resistant varieties that also taste good. It looks kinda small applenut…is this typical of the average size? I actually prefer smaller apples for a variety of different reasons.
If Cortlandt and Honeycrisp are your favorites my advice may not account for much. Cortlandt is real good for a couple weeks then quickly turns to sauce in a skin- I am drawn to denser apples anyway. If trees are on free standing root stocks you will likely graft over 3 of them to something longer useful.
Do you want to eat your own apples into spring? If so you might consider keeping qualities. Pink Lady is a great keeper if you have a long enough season. Goldrush is my staple here because it holds more than texture, it keeps a rich flavor that only sweetens in storage. Fuji if great for sweet lovers but I like acid with that sugar. I don’t agree that Pink Lady is a B apple- it is world class as is Fuji in its own way. Pink Lady has a unique texture and a great sugar acid balance that puts it on that roster. Of course, everyone has their own hall of fame choices.
I’m guessing you are a somewhat northern grower if you love your cortlandts. You need to say where you are.
So many people seem to like Goldrush. I’ve tasted them and would really like to plant a one, but am concerned about how late it ripens. I’m in Northeast Ohio. Does anyone have years when their Goldrush’s get frozen out before they ripen? If so, are they still good for sauce?
I’m a Honeycrisp fan but I also enjoy and Red Fuji even though they are very different. I’ve tasted Sweet Tango and in my opinion it’s not as good as the hype. I definitely prefer Honeycrisp and several others over it.
I read that many times and I’m always so surprised. The best apples I ever ate were organic Cortland, eaten in february, april and march, from a cold room. They were super sweet but still had a bit of tang. The white flesh, crisp, but not too juicy. The thick skin was dark red and had aromas that reminded me of concord grapes. Perhaps they were grown in best conditions. Honestly, these apples were great for fresh eating. Not too good in a pie. They were grown in Quebec and also eaten here…! Give them another chance.
By cold room do you mean commercial storage? If you remove the oxygen some apples will remain crisp that in normal refrigeration lose their texture. I manage several Cortlandt trees, but confess to only trying to store them a couple of times. Years ago, they were my favorite NY apple, like a sweeter version of Macintosh- now I think Macoun is better of that type and I don’t even bother with them much- can’t keep them crisp either.
Appleseed- Around here anyway King David tends to overbear and be small if not thinned; here’s off a tree that didn’t bear as heavily. These could have used another month on the tree; people think they are ripe at this point, but they should be allowed to hang longer until they look like Arkansas Black.
I didn’t know there was such a thing, you are teaching me new things So that’s a good possibility and that might be the reason I read many reviews like yours but didn’t think alike. Ì don’t think Ì have ever had a Macoun. Would love to try it.
Macoun can be a fabulous apple for fresh eating. My early grafts of it failed but I have good takes this year and should have a few to eat in a couple of years.
I’m south of most of you people, so we grow different apples here. My #1 apple is Grimes Golden. It’s
large, hard and crunchy with a great flavor. I can’t stand soft apples.
@Daemon2525, if you didn’t find the following post
scroll down and you will find my favorites list. At least as of last year, I’m sure there will be different favorites this year.
Re: King David, I just can’t get my tree to bear. It was making a million shoots to the skies. I decided to radically train it and made an umbrella out of it - only one fruiting plane, mostly horizontal. This year it seems to have finally settled down and I hope I can get some apples on it next year.
I’ve had years where Goldrush didn’t ripen into a very useful apple in my Z6 but then I planted a tree in the sunniest part of my property, which helps although not all fruit reaches peak quality on short seasons.
Pink Lady doesn’t get as good as further south but is still quite useable most seasons. I’m interested in the early season version- where are you folks getting it? I couldn’t find a source that didn’t require a minimum purchase of 100 trees.
Give them another chance.
So that’s a good possibility and that might be the reason I read many reviews like yours but didn’t think alike. Ì don’t think Ì have ever had a Macoun. Would love to try it.