Interesting new to you apples this year?

Holy ribbed-shape cow!

Here’s a pic of 4 I brought to work today.

Ashmead’s Kerenel- 21 brix. Good, but a bit harsh and acidic. I’m going to go out and pick the rest in the next day or two, then store them.

Egremont Russet- 19-19.5 brix, Good flavor, not as harsh as AK. Two different people independently told me it tasted like a pear, one of them was quite emphatic on it.

Kaz #11 (PI 614000)- 12.5-14 brix. I’m not sure this one is fully ripe- the flavor just isn’t that strong (or good). I’m going to let the other apple (only 2 on the tree) hang a few more weeks.

Scarlet O’Hara- 14.5-20.5 brix. Very good and got the most comments. Larger than the other apples. More mild than the two russets, but still a decent amount of flavor. All the SO I’ve had so far have had much higher brix near the top, than the bottom, which is a bit unusual.

Ashmead’s Kernel store very well, I had a bunch stored last year and they mellowed considerably. They can get a bit soft though. I didn’t measure brix on mine this year, thanks to the deer clearing most of my crop out.

You should store some of the Scarlet O’Hara, it is supposed to improve in storage.

No deer here (yet, thankfully- just groundhogs, rabbits, squirrels, etc), but there was plenty of bug damage on Ashmead’s Kernel. I picked the last 23 AK apples today and ~20 had some level of damage.

Another apple with lots of damage (much of it rots and fungal in nature as well as insect) is the Egremont Russet. But, I did have one today whose brix was 21-22.5, one of the highest I’ve seen. Even so, it was quite tart.

I’ve only got 2 Scarlet O’Hara left, so I probably won’t be able to see how well they keep.

Nice brix! I bet that would be a great apple after some storage.

I removed my ER several years ago for this reason - even in low rot years it did poorly.

Oh another interesting new apple this year for me is Lady Sweet. Sweet apples are a unique American thing, they are very low acid. Lady Sweet has a unique complex flavor with both perfumed notes as well as some darker berry notes. The tannins are fairly high based on how fast it browns. I am probably going to add more grafts of it for purposes of cider, there are too many good sour cider apples and you need some low acid ones to get the acid back to normal. Lady Sweet gets a “very good to best” in Apples of New York, that is the best rating of any of the sweet-type apples and I can believe it. I think there are around 15 apples total with that rating, and only one with “best” (Newtown).

Here is what Downing for example said about Lady Sweet:

We consider this one of the finest winter sweet Apples for the dessert yet known or cultivated in this country. Its handsome appearance, delightful perfume, sprightly flavor, and the long time which it remains in perfection, render it universally admired wherever it is known, and no garden should be without it.

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I know a grower near Burkittsville who removed all of his Egremont Russets. He said they were annual fireblight magnets. He spent a whole year pruning out a major strike that spread from the Egremonts throughout his whole orchard. That’s when he decided to axe them. He hasn’t had any major fireblight problems since.

Earlier this afternoon, I cut around extensive bad spots on an Egremont Russet and the remaining good parts topped 26 brix. Highest reading I’ve ever seen in an apple (previous was 23.x for Golden Russet). Too bad more than half the apple was bad. Part of it was pear-like and part of it was quite sharp. The only fruits I’ve had with higher brix are Kiwis and Jujube.

My Egremot Russet is on probation because I have experienced the same thing.

Here’s an update on a few more that I’ve sampled for the first time.

Robert’s Crab- this was a new graft that I let produce a single fruit. It is certainly a striking color. I don’t think i will be great for fresh eating, but it will make cider very interesting. I didn’t take down the brix, but I think it was around 16-17 (still not sweet). I squeezed a few drops out so you can see how it would look.

Winston- A nice crunchy acidic apple. It was taking some damage, so I decided it was time to pick it. I bet it could have hung longer. Around 15 brix.

Adam’s Pearmain- This one (the only one from last year’s graft) fell down. It didn’t have much crunch, but that could just be the sample. The flavor was also much milder (also around 15 brix).

Update on Red Boskoop- It is a very promising apple. A very large apple with lots of flavor and acid. The ones I’m picking now have a great balance to them (they were too acidic when I first posted). At least I think so- my wife called one sour tonight, even though it was 17.5-22.5 brix. Still very good crunch. It isn’t without problems though- some cracked, others have rot, some bees, and they got hit badly in the spring by PC. It is also a very vigorous tree. I have it on M27 (mini-dwarf) and it almost looks like it is on B9, while my other M27 look like small bushes (Alan’s blueberries are bigger than all my other M27).

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Thanks Bob. I also have a couple new ones to add, no pics unfortunately though.

The biggest recent surprise was Suncrisp. If they ripen fully they are quite intense on the anise flavor spectrum, something I did not expect. They have similar parentage as Freyburg (Cox and Golden Delicious), and the flavor is also similar, but Suncrisp is consistently larger, less damage-prone, and more crunchy.

Another nice apple I have not fruited in several years is Doctor Matthews. Its in the same school as Hubbardston, Abbondanza, and Worcester Pearmain, sort of mac-like but sweeter and without the rubbery skin. One particularly nice thing about this one is it was also very clean looking in a very rough year.

Speaking of rough, my Wicksons look pretty horrible now. They got a lot of bug damage, and many are cracking now. In good years they come out OK but many years are not good years for them.

As I commented earlier I’m blown away by Karmijn d’ Sonnaville. Can’t provide brix readings, so you’ll have to rely on my subjective opinions.

It’s a cross of Cox’s Orange Pippin as the female parent and either Jonathon or Belle de Boskoop as the male. Which hasn’t been determined. A self-sterile triploid and poor pollinator that needs a long season, it’s worth waiting for. You can read this for more complete information and others opinions:

http://www.orangepippin.com/apples/karmijn-de-sonnaville

We had a hot spell early this summer and I think it benefited all my apples (tomatoes too!) so this year may be atypical. I think it compares favorably to any of my favorites, including Jazz, Jonagold, Haralson … I can’t think of anything that beats it. It’s sharp, loaded with complex flavor, crisp and firm and juicy. I’ll have pictures in a couple of days, but mine look a lot like the ones in the Orange Pippin entry. It’s head and shoulders above Fuji and to my mind is better than Honeycrisp, especially in terms of flavor and complexity of flavor. Still not able to comment on aroma, more’s the pity!

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I just remembered I left one off my list above: Spigold. I was not expecting much from this apple and it took forever to fruit, but wow is it nice! It has a unique flavor quite far into the grape side. The apples are gargantuan. They seem to need some time off the tree, the skin needs to get greasy before they are the best to eat. I like the greasy skin because its a good guide of whether they are ready. This variety is known to take forever to bear, and I can vouch for that. But its well worth it.

Last winter I bought some Suncrisp apples from White Oak. They looked very similar to Gingergold in appearance but had a distinct pear-like flavor which my wife and I both liked. I am trying to grow it now on EMLA.111…

Four apples I am eating now which I want to praise-- (disclaimer: all bought from local nurseries; I have not yet fruited these myself):

Roxbury Russet is under-rated and absolutely amazing. Slice this apple for the table. Super sweet tangy crystalline flesh. Somewhat firm, dense and coarse, but not in a bad way. Squat apple shape. Light green color with significant russeting that streaks from the tops and bottoms of the apples-- the overall effect is homely but strangely charming and comforting. These apples are so sweet and delicious, they will suprise you. Truly my favorite October apple, and in my top 5 overall. It is said to be scab and rust resistant; a good keeper; and good for any other purpose, including baking, sweet cider, and hard cider production. I am trying to grow it on Geneva.16.

Roxbury Russet

I dumped on Honeycrisp earlier as having an off-year. But I’ve been eating some late-season Honeycrisps now which are back to being their spectacular selves. Unbeatable crisp breaking texture. Outrageously sweet and tangy flavor that fills your mouth. Juices rain down onto your palate as you chew. I remember now why it is my favorite. Store-bought Honeycrisps are okay. Locally grown Honeycrisps cannot be beat when they’re at their best. I am trying to grow it on Geneva.41.

Honeycrisp (left) and Jonathan (right)

The Jonathan apple is said to be prone to disease, which is too bad. These things have that vinious winesap flavor in spades! Juicy grape-like flavor. Good eater.

Newtown Pippin

Newtown Pippin is perhaps one of the prettiest of the American heirloom apples, and this thing has a strange unique “piney” flavor that provides more variety for your collection. It is fun to eat. Classic somewhat sour green-apple flavor. Crisp breaking texture which is suprising and exciting to find in an antique apple. The first American apple to break into the English market. While touring Europe, Jefferson wrote a letter to a friend back in America: “They [Europeans] have no apple to compare with our Newtown Pippin.” After tasting the apple, the Queen of England lifted trade barriers in order to import the apple. Eventually, I plan to grow it on Geneva.16.

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Thank you for your comments on those apples. You get me interested in growing RR now.

I like your description of Honey Crisp. That is my experience as well as others I gave them to.

I started picking them from mid Sept until last week. It is a keeper to me.

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A historic tree in my town that I’ve been watching for years bore a crop this year, some of which I picked (with owners permission, of course). The tree is easily over 100 yrs, obviously grafted at around chest height. Untended and somewhat shaded.

Apples are delicious fresh eating, thin skinned, crisp, juicy lightly subacid. Very little insect damage. I haven’t definitively IDed the variety, but with a friend’s help and some input from SA Beach, I think it is a Wagener. I will be taking scion wood from this one, for sure!

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Scott- roughly how many years did it take for your Spigold to fruit? What rootstock? Thanks. I think this is the mystery apple I grafted at my former orchard that knocked my socks off but I’d lost the ID tag! I’ll know as soon as I taste it if it’s the mystery apple. Any experience with fire blight on it? Many thanks.

Do you know any place that grows them commercially?

Steve

I had my first taste of Rhode Island Greening from a neighbor’s tree. :heart_eyes: It was awesome. It’s like a sweeter version of Granny Smith. I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on this old classic.

I also got some Fortune apples from a local. After baking, it seems similar to Cortland or Winesap, except a little less tart. The family liked it over other two. It also has a bit of spiciness when eaten fresh. It’s a good choice for an all-purpose apple.

I have mixed feelings for Ruby Frost. It wasn’t very interesting off the tree, but it does seem to hold promise for developing better flavor after a month or more of storage. It’s good for baking if you don’t like tart baking apples.

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I had RIG for a time but took it off because it needs a much longer season that I’m likely to get. So I’m envious! Good for you.