Hoosier is missing in action. Hasn’t posted anything in a coons age, which is a loss for the forum. I miss her posts.
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I got my first four apples from a Black Limbertwig graft this year, the first from the five limbertwig varieties I have on one tree. They were in refrigerated storage for seven weeks before I tried one. The flavor was okay, sweet with some acid and a fairly unique taste that I assume is the limbertwiggy thing one often reads about. Unfortunately, it was already halfway to unpalatable mealiness. Should have tried one straight from the tree.
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Or pick them a little green.
That’s another option, although most online apple retailers suggest it’s a good keeper ready to harvest between late Sept-early Oct (in North Carolina). I thought an Oct 9 harvest date in a year where my apples were a good two weeks behind their usual ripening dates was in the ballpark.
It’s also been my experience that initial harvests from young trees often don’t reflect an apple’s “normal” characteristics. I know I’m not alone in that experience. Add in yearly variations in the quality of a given cultivar and evaluating varietal performance in areas they aren’t normally grown and, hey!, determining how one should treat a new-to-you variety is mostly guesswork.
My takeaway is that in future years, even if I only have a very small number of apples from a new variety, I should ignore storage and best after x weeks information and eat one straight from the tree and then at regular intervals thereafter to have the best opportunity to sample a decent example.
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I hear that a lot here but don’t really experience it on my trees at many, many sites, except that sometimes the quality is better right when the start to bear because the ratio of leaves to fruit tends to be better.
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Today I had two Karmijn D’Sonnenville’s that I picked on Sept. 29, 2019. They were stored in a non-frost free freezer chest with the temperature controlled at 36f.
The flavor was still excellent, sweet and tart. It kept its texture nicely.
Mike
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Your black limbertwig doesn’t sound anything like mine which stores well for many months. So I think this might be what is going on. Either that or do you have the wrong variety.
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I’ve had this happen on first time fruiters too, but the poor initial to improves with age scenario occurs more often than the reverse.
Then there’s the poor performers that remain poor. This most often happens with russets here, particularly English russets. I’m also as certain about Granniwinkle’s eternal awfulness here as you are about your Black Limbertwig’s. This season’s initial crop of mealy blobs of sweet yuckiness are definitely what I’d have to look forward to annually if I kept it. I already removed the grafted branch from the tree it was attached to three seasons ago.
That result doesn’t seem as likely to me with an apple born in a hot environment like Black LT, even if it is also humid as opposed to hot and dry here. As Scott suggested, maybe it’s not actually Black Limbertwig. I’ll have to refer to my old trade lists to see who I got it from.
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Of course, given the range of quality season to season, even for established trees, sorting out causation of relative quality can be challenging.
I have more experience than actual expertise on the issue. It would be easy enough to get scientific about it by measuring brix of fruit from similarly thinned trees of the same variety, a very young tree and very old one on the same property. Or even to keep a running record of the brix of fruit from first harvest to five years later of several different trees of different varieties. That, most of us could do.
I might even do it.
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Funny, those lenticels look more stellar than any of the Cosmic Crisp I’ve seen in person.
How was that King Luscious apple?
FWIW, I had this variety (purchased) for the first time this year. Might have been picked too early/late, maybe didn’t store long enough, or too long… Whatever it was though, they were kind of mealy and just didn’t have a very interesting taste. Will maybe try again in the future in case this was an anomaly.
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That doesn’t sound very appealing to me either. I have only read a few things about this apple. None of which mentioned the flesh texture. Hopefully it was just a fluke that year. I will hold back from making that a tree purchase for now. TY for your input.
They are very similar looking but ripen at different times. Of course Honeycrisp has a more breaking texture but they are very similar in their acid-sugar balance, or can be. Visually they are about as similar as varieties are likely to be (that is, the red Jonagold I grow that is also harder than the original and a bit higher brix) and we partially “taste” with our eyes. Maybe people I am around have trouble telling them apart is partially because for the types that love Honeycrisp there isn’t much “noticeable” difference between the apples that holds in their memories. Perhaps it is just a matter of the different taste appealing to the same people. However, as they come out of the fridge right now, I don’t find them very different.
I should mention that the original Jonagold doesn’t fool people. Look for Red Jonaprince.
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My favorites here in SW WA are early, Gravenstein and Pristine; Mid Season Liberty, Jonagold, Akane, Porter, late Jonared, Rubinette, Sutton Beauty.
The reasons are flavor and bearing here. In my garden, unfortunately, Gravensteins, Porter and Jonagold are biennial, and Jonagold gets a bit scabby but is worth it for the flavor. North Pole is also good, McIntosh-like, big but also tends to biennial.
I really love those Jonagold, but they can be a temperamental apple to grow, in my hands.
These give a range of flavors and sweet / tart balance, modern and historic. I tend to like Jonathan type apples the best.
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Hi. Some say it is disease resistant, while I read from another grower that King David has some disease problems. (A grower in Arkansas that I cannot recall now)
Opinion/experience: Liberty is at its best when it is starved for nitrogen. You can also get a similar effect by using a hyper dwarfing rootstock so it keeps in balance, i.e. requires little to no pruning because the fruiting consumes the energy and their is nothing left to push growth. At that point you will taste the Macoun heritage.
Cheers,
the fluffy one
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Good to see your name, Fluffy!