Curious if anyone has experience with this one, it is from the U of Minnesota program, parent of Zestar and grandparent of SweeTango . I recieved some scions from a friend who got it with a recommendation from Elmer Swenson. Supposedly very clean summer apple, makes the best sauce.
Is this the State Fair Apple?
If I read this correctly 1691 is a descendant of State Fair, along with Zestar:
I know I’m probably missing out on the boat here and I’ve fallen into marketing hype but I’ve never tried any numbered fruit varieties. I feel like if they were any good they would’ve been given a real name of some type. I know that is the completely wrong attitude but I haven’t been able to break that habit yet. I’ve been considering trying some of the numbered PF peaches.
Zestar was Minnesota 1691 crossed with State Fair.
http://mnhardy.umn.edu/varieties/fruit/apples/zestar
Another apple from this program, Minnesota 447 was known only as a parent of Keepsake and Sweet Sixteen, but eventually has been rewarded with a name, Frostbite.
Yes, Frostbite is the poster child of an apple that flies under the radar and - decades later - finally achieves wider acclaim.
I’ve probably made this comment here before… It always feels like the same guy was tasting the UMN apples and making the decision to keep them in the trials or not. Zestar!, State Fair, HC, and Sweet 16 all have notes of the same flavor to them. They aren’t interchangeable, but it really feels like that guy had a taste in apples that he was trying to hit.
There are lots of apples from that program. Still bums me out that anything in the future probably won’t be released to the public domain.
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