I recently visited u-pick apple farm where was pretty disappointed with majority of apples left on the tree - most of them, including old fashioned ones were pretty bland. We ended up picking some apples that were better than others called Gibson Golden. After 2 weeks in unheated shed they become one of my favorite apples ever. So I started to read about them and found description stated that it is very close to golden delicious but much less russet. That confused me completely. Golden Delicious I know from the store NEVER have any russet on them. They smooth and mostly bland sweet and has no aroma. The apple I have is very intense in taste, great balance of acid and sugar and has wonderful and strong aroma, that reminds me Antonovka and has russet on them. It is fine russet, you can feel it with your fingers, skin is not smooth at all.
So I have several questions.
Is Golden Delicious they sell in the stores are really Golden Delicious?
Is description I found for Gibson Golden correct?
Could it be the apple I picked is NOT Gibson Golden?
What apple could it be?
We picked it in the end of October, here are some pictures.
There is Gibson strain of Golden Delicious, which is probably the variety
you’re referring to. Gibson Strain is totally green and doesn’t turn red at
all. So the apples in the pics are probably something else.
Those apples look like the Golden Delicious I grow. Yellow/gold with some russet and some red tinge. Mine consistently taste excellent. Good sweet/tart balance, crisp and juicy. My tree is from Stark Bros and I’ve been surprised how good they are compared to the grocery store version. Of course, the ones pictured could be another variety but I wouldn’t be surprised if they are some version of original Golden Delicious, which I believe is what made Stark Bros famous.
Few years late but I believe the apple your referring to is actually Gilbert Gold, a russeted strain of GD, and not the very subpar Gibson golden strain.
My name is Vic Gibson.
My father and I, accidentally discovered what became known as the Gibson Golden, or as we named it, the SMOOTHEE.
It is for real and anyone bored enough to want to hear the whole story can e-mail me at gibby221@zoominternet.net
Thank you for solving the mystery of the Smoothee apple for me! I recently sampled this apple at Denver Dan’s U-pick on Apple Hill outside of Sacramento, Ca. Delicious apple in the foothills going to Lake Tahoe.
I believe Mullins Golden Delicious is the original GD, from West Virginia
My Grandfather was foreman of part of a 2000 acre apple farm called Treesdale most of which was located in Mars, Pa.
My Dad grew up knowing how to plant, trim, thin, spray and raise apples.
In the mid 50,s Dad bought around 20 acres , built a house, and planted about 2 acres in peaches, and the rest in apple trees. His real job was with U.S. Steel. He just liked the apples as a hobby.
Most, if not all of his trees were ordered from an outfit named Adams County Nursery in the central part of Pa.
He ordered several golden delicious trees and planted them.
Two years after they were planted, a huge wind storm uprooted the tree planted closed to our garage and half of the root system was sticking out. Dad was about to just pull it out cause he thought he had planted it to close th the garage, but I talked him into replanting it.
When it started to produce, the apples were much smoother then the others and the tree bared fruit every year, unlike the remainder of his Goldens that were on the same cycle due to frost. Anyone knowing apple trees will know what I just said.
Goldens grown in Pa taste great but seem to all have that russet on them.
This tree was not russet free, but almost, and was very typee, Delicious wise. ( Bumps on the bottom).
After watching this for a couple of years and grafting to several far away very russet trees, Hilltop Nurseries in Michigan was contacted. The rest is history.
In these days of AL and phony posts, I wouldn’t blame anyone for checking all of this out.
Dad passed away in 2005. He named the apple Smoothie.
Thanks for listening,
Vic
I was about 13 when the tree blew over. I am 75 now and my memory is not what it used to be.
The proper spelling of his tree is SMOOTHEE.
I saw a post saying that they always stay green. NOT
They can be almost as beautiful as Goldens raised in Washington state, but they just taste better.
@gibby2311
Hay !
Thanks so much for saving that Smoothee !
I have been growing the “Hilltop Smoothee “ here in Wv. For ~ 30yrs
It has been the best producer of quality fruit here during that time.
My favorite apple .!
Thanks so much !
It does get confusing since there is an apple Linnton renamed Milo Gibson. The Milo Gibson I’ve seen has some red in it. Some sellers show an apple with some red in it and say it is a Golden Delicious
I’m guessing the apple sold as Gibson Golden and Golden Delicious is the all yellow Smoothee and not the Milo Gibson (Linnton). So some sellers are confusing them. Am I wrong?
I am currently sitting in my game room looking at a picture of a limb of beautiful, yellow, large and smooth
goldens taken from the original tree. Don’t ever remember ones with even a slight red cast.
The next time one of my techno grandchildren are here, I will have them scan this picture or something so I can post it.
In front of me is a catalogue from a place called VanWell Nursery. 1-800-572-1553
They advertise the Gibson Golden complete with picture.
Wow, I never thought anyone would read this.
Vic
