Tart yet tasty apple varieties

[mamuang]

What rootstock your Rising Sun is on? Flowered in the second year is impressive. Mine is on either B 9 or G 41 ( can’t remember which is Golden Russet and which is Fuji).

[MikeC]

My Rising Sun Fuji is on an EMLA9/EMLA111 interterstem rootstock. I actually will get maybe 2 to 3 apples off of it this, perhaps. They are still about unhulled walnut size now.

[kshaunfield]

I have a 3rd leaf Goldrush tree on G.30 (and I just grafted another on standard this spring) that is carrying a good first crop. So far, under a no-chemical-spray regime the rust hasn’t been too bad, definitely hasn’t ever come close to defoliating the tree. I’m not sure how the fruit fares. There’s a cedar ~150’ away. I too am interested in other folks’ experience.

[MikeC]

Sorry for the delay in answering your question. All my trees blossomed this year, yet a lot did not take. Probably the leaf/fruit ratio was was off. It looks like I will get a few varieties to taste this year (if the deer and or other critters do not get to them first):
Reinette Zabergau, Berlepsch, Calville Blanc, Honeycrisp, Northern Spy,Hollow Log, Parmer, Golden Russet, Snow, Summer Rambo, Roxbury Russet, Sunrise Fuji, Idared. The other heritage ones are a little young to bear fruit quite yet. I hope to taste some next year.

[NuttingBumpus]

Mike, you have Parmer? I’ve wondered about this one for years, not at all sure it can hack the dry heat of eastern Washington. Has it fruited for you? Any strengths or drawbacks to the tree/fruit?

[jerry]

I have a couple of grafts of Parmer/Parmar that should fruit this year. I’m looking forward to giving it a try.

[NuttingBumpus]

I rather like the spelling, Parmar - more distinctive.

Maybe I can try this out at my buddy’s orchard inn the next couple years. Gotta get money set aside for stock and scions next year!

[applebacon]

I have a 2nd leaf fuji red sport 2 on g30, maybe fruit in 2019 looking forward to it, very vigorous grower.

[MikeC]

If you are looking to make apple sauce the Yellow Transparent is a great choice. Mine were sort on the smallish size. However, I did not thin them very often. That may have helped make them bigger.

[MikeC]

Last year was the second leafing. It blossomed but no fruit. I hope to get some fruit this year. We get a lot of hot humid weather here during late July and August. What temps does it get there?

[NuttingBumpus]

The past four years have seen three record summers. There have been more days over 90F than ever, as many as 20. Last year saw a record dearth: 80 days between rains. 15% humidity is typical, but a standard summer used to bring only six days over 90F. Don’t know if this is the new pattern or not.
Several apples have shown they cannot handle such dry conditions, even though I faithfully soak my trees every week if they are very young and every two weeks when they gain some size - very sandy soil drains water deeply.

Queen Cox (COP bud sport) simply died here; its fruit dreadful. D’Arcy Spice dropped all fruit at the first heat wave, four years in a row. Last year a new graft of Keepsake on Genenva30 (which does well) stopped growing with high heat. I might be able to get it to do better with a coating of Surround (R,) but won’t pin much hope on it, since HighandDry loses all fruit on Keepsake in Reno, NV.

[moose71]

yellow transparent grows wild here on old farmland and does indeed make the best applesauce. i go around and pick these wild apples every year since i was young. add a little cinnamon , sugar and nutmeg and you are golden!

[MikeC]

I enjoyed the Yellow Transparent tree I had in my yard years ago. I agree with you about making applesauce. They also made good fried/cooked apples in the morning. They were pretty poor for keeping or for fresh eating for very long. My family did not care much for the apple other than for those two uses. It was already there when I bought the house.

[moose71]

my mother used to make gallons of applesauce for the winter from them as well as apple slices to make pies/ cobblers with. we picked other apples but the y. transparent was the one we ate the most off as it was free and growing everywhere on old farmland. got to love tart tho.

[MikeC]

They were early enough that it was good to have a fresh apple to eat. It did not take long to cook down to make applesauce or cobbles. Cobblers were great to make with this apple because they were so easy to cook down to eat pretty quickly. Now I’m hungry for some of them.

[moose71]

yep. don’t even need to mash them to make applesauce. i still have some left from last fall.

[MikeC]

So true, very easy to melt down to make delicious applesauce and not be at the stove for hours making one batch.

[hambone]

We always ate YT at pre-ripe with salt on them. Amazing.

[moose71]

i like them just a little yellow to eat fresh and very ripe , almost white, for applesauce.

[MikeC]

Exactly right on both counts.