Friends have an old apple tree likely more than 100 yrs old. It has round green apples, late fall (z4), good keepers. A few have a slight blush but most are smooth green, slightly waxy feel (but I think the ones we had a few years ago had some more yellow tint), with subtle dots. Flesh white w/ green tinit (maybe because they were picked early?), smooth, crisp enough, a little juicier than Black Oxford, mild sweet with some very little tartness. This tree grew close beside the front door of the old farmhouse. The house burned down and the only thing that survived was this apple tree! The folks rebuilt on the same foundation with the tree still there. The apples are quite good in spite of little care. Photos are from early October early drops. Early Nov. most still on tree. These folks head south in Nov. and always pick a bucket of the best fruit just before they leave for winter eating. A few years ago they drove off and forgot their apples. We got a call from some state south of here and said would we like to go get them. Of course! My notes just say they were still good when we ate the last of them end of Dec. We cut scions the next spring and grafted onto a seedling and a branch of a wild tree. They’re growing well. Any ideas on variety? Thanks!
I know this thread is old, but there isn’t much here on NW Greening. I’ve got a tree here that was mislabeled and am trying to ID it. I’m leaning towards NW Greening, but would certainly listen to other ideas.
Yeah, there’s got to be a reason they’re still around, but I haven’t figured it out yet, other than it gives a ton of apples every year and is very hardy, which is probably why you have one in your yard.
The tree at the top looks like it could be Rhode Island Greening, which is an intense sweet-tart apple. It’s almost as intense as a properly ripened Granny Smith.
Actually, it was labeled as a Zestar when I bought it. I’ve got another tree from the same nursery that was labeled as a NW Greening…and it is not a NW Greening. I’m thinking it’s a State Fair, but I’ll need another couple years of fruiting to confirm that I’d imagine.
My Dad always talked about NW Greening apples. He was raised in rural southwest WI and he said it seemed every farm yard had a NW Greening.
It’s possible but it doesn’t sound much like it because the flavor wasn’t intense, just quite pleasant medium sweet-tart (what I can recall). I’m hoping the tree I grafted from that tree will have fruit next year and I can get a better idea of what it might be. It doesn’t much sound/look like the NW Greening either. Of course, it’s also possible it’s a seedling. Sue
Finally fruit! It set 7 beautiful green apples - picked 10/8. Several were past green to light yellow and the others a lighter shade of green. Small russet around stems and light blush on some.
Waited a week then tried one and the seeds were only half brown - not quite ripe. It was firm, a little juice, light sweet tart but with flavor. It seemed to need time in storage. I waited a month, 11/18 we tried another - nice! Sweeter and nice flavor, dense-firm but not tough, more juice, seeds brown. It was also strongly aromatic when I cut into it. Strangely the smell that came to mind was nail polish remover! But not in a bad way. It also has a very pleasing sweet aftertaste. We ate another the next day. It’s hard to hold off when the apples are good, but I do want to save a few to see how they fare later. This apple was definitely worth the nine year wait. Similar in attributes and timing to Black Oxford.
I’ve searched a lot trying to decide if it might be a Grimes Golden (doesn’t quite match but then descriptions vary a lot) or maybe Golden Delicious which also doesn’t quite fit (and this apple might be older). There was active planting of apples and orchards around here in those days with folks from all over so not too surprising that it might be a variety not known today (if it ever had a name). But still I wonder… Sue
