Anyone fruited any of the following commercial sports of Stayman? Curious about flavor and resistance to cracking. I have come across three, maybe four different ones from the various orchards and fruit stands I visited in VA and PA this fall. Of course not anyone at the sales counters know what cultivars they are.
Early Red, Double Red, Stark Red, Nured, Scarlet Staymared, Cardinal, Black, Supreme Staymared(Tuttle), and Snapp.
Also there is a Hexaploid called Derman that I don’t think was widely planted if at all but is available as scions from a few places.
All those listed above would have Stayman attached to the name. Cardinal itself could be any other apple or the Cardinal crabapple. The Cardinal Stayman was a sport found in Virginia in 1945 with bright red skin.
I have Red Stayman from Masonville Orchards (Walt Rosenberg). I think he had it listed as Red Stayman Winesap. I grafted it in 2016 and then again in 2018. I have 4 trees remaining from 2018 and one of the trees had one fruit this year, which disappeared in late summer. I can’t say which red sport it is, but I think two of the 4 trees may bear fruit next year if all goes well. Not too helpful for you not knowing what sport it is.
Stayman is the apple I’ve eaten and thoroughly enjoyed since childhood. King David as well, fond memories there too… Anyway, I’m growing Stayman and they’re every bit as good as (most of) the ones we see in local stores. Sometimes smaller local grocery stores will sell them, usually it’s specialty fruit and vegetable type places though. We usually buy a couple bushel and enjoy them well into May.
One local place has some which are just a bit better than the ones I grow though. I asked and they said they purchase from Orr’s Orchards in West Virginia. I searched online and see that they list having Snapp Stayman: Pick your own Apples - Orr's Farm Market So now I want a scion of that
I’m also growing what was listed as “Old Stayman”, scion from the local county extension office grafting class. Found some for sale listed with that name a few years later and eh… Wasn’t impressed, not as good to me as the more commonly available Stayman.
I’ve also seen at another fruit specialty place one they called “Speckled Stayman” and again, the flavor to me just wasn’t quite as good.
The ones we purchased this year are fairly red, which is supposedly an attribute of the Snapp sport. If it’s the best, I want it. If there are others which are superior, I want those! Someone with scion ability of any Stayman sport or prodigy, which is even better tasting… Just tell me what you want in return
Here’s some facts about the history of the apple. Dr. Stayman’s notes and correspondence were bequeathed to the USDA upon his death in 1903. He also introduced other apples, strawberries and grapes over the years.
As for the Stayman, he sent out scions for many years for testing. It was almost 20 years before it was sold by nurseries for commercial production. A nursery in Denton Maryland and Stark Brothers both offered it in the fall of 1898.
By the time he died there were already sports being offered by others that he didn’t approve of. The various sports he observed were not as good in fruit quality as the original lighter red colored apple.
Stark paid $1,500 for Staymared in 1926 in Virginia. They also traded a peach orchard for the Supreme sport found in Indiana in the early 70’s. Snapp showed up in the 90’s in Virginia and was introduced by Adams County Nursery.
