I am starting to get my first summer apples now. This is the first year I have had a good harvest as I started them as small grafts and never got much. So far Pristine is the most impressive, it is similar in taste to Golden Delicious but earlier. The tree gets horrible curc damage for some reason, but I left a lot more apples on than usual so I could thin out all the damaged ones. Besides that they really are Pristine, more clean in all this heat compared to the other summer apples I have. Here is a picture of a Pristine next to a State Fair, you can see why I mean by not clean:
These summer rots have caused me to remove a good portion of the apple varieties I tried. State Fair is a very nice apple otherwise, but not a long-term keeper for me. It is more sour and less aromatic than Pristine.
My later summer apples are just starting to ripen, Ginger Gold, Golden Nugget, and Cherryville Black, and I am looking forward to trying them soon.
Scott, my Pristine apples were great too, I loved them. They made great applesauce. They were also quite juicy, which I liked. Pristine were one of the most successful apples I grew. I bagged until the tree got to be over 12’ tall. But no curc damage, ever. It was one of the first trees I ever planted in RI. A great apple!
So far here on the Northern California coast, I’ve harvested some Williams’ Pride, a few Viking, many Trailman, and a handful of Carolina Red June. Looks like this will be a good apple year, despite the drought. While much of the planet appears to be suffering from unusual heat, it’s surprisingly cool here - our high yesterday was 62º F, and it’s only 64º today. That helps offset some of the expected drought damage.
my yellow transparent was fruiting a few fruit 2 years ago then last year i grafted some more different apples to it so it didnt fruit this year. hopefully next summer. i know where several wild ones are and they are full of fruit. going to hit them soon for applesauce.
My Pristine had a lot of insect damage that the trees around it did not. I assume that it is because it bloomed earlier and I did not get spray soon enough? I still have them hanging on the tree.
I’m not sure that I know when they are ready. I have tried them and they are very good.
The seeds are brown, not quite black like I would think.
Not sure what to do with them either. My others are not ready to press for Cider and I have too many to eat.
I have had the same thing every year. They don’t mature any earlier than many other apples, I think they are just more susceptible to curc damage for some reason.
Re: what to do with them, you can always freeze/sauce/dry them, they are a great all-round apple. Mine are ripening over a period of several weeks and we have been able to eat all of them so far.
Just finished picking Monark here in 7B MD. Having devil of a time picking at right time, despite best efforts of Lucky P to guide me. They’re either unripe or past ripe. Trying to link seed color with skin color and ease of pulling from tree. The formula eludes me, so am giving most away as pie apples with warning I have no clue about their ripeness. The apple in photo is likely past ripe with all that red. About 60% red just might be something to shoot for, but don’t quote me. The longer I grow apples the more I appreciate varieties that tell you in no uncertain terms when to pick. This one is on thin ice with me. If you break the Monark ripeness code please let me know.
Our Yellow Delicious, Winesap and MacIntosh apples are still growing here in Annapolis, Md. Winesap is only about 2 inches wide, but the others are almost full size. Just no color yet. The one Honeycrisp tree seems to be attracting all the deer because the apples have been disappearing lately. Scott, you are near to us so I am jealous that your crop is turning out so nicely.
Today, on the 28. July we picked some of the Piros and Pfirsichroter Sommerapfel. Of these two, I definitely like the Piros better. It has the crunchier texture and the thinner skin. Additionally, the fruit is bigger and the tree healthier. (The Pfirsichroter Sommerapfel has often had mildew in the last few years)
