Yeah… I had a grand total of 2 apples make it to maturity this year… Both Stayman and both split. They ate good though…
We stopped at Johnson’s Small Fruits in Western NC this fall and of all the varieties they had available, no Stayman. We asked and they said they all split and since customers wouldn’t purchase 'em that way, they didn’t even bother to pick them. Their thought was perhaps Calcium deficiency.
That’s right. The trees are vigorous and the fruit can get quite large.
I think that’s a common observation, and probably why it didn’t remain a viable commercial apple. The splitting is apparently triggered by late rainfall. Those of us growing Stayman in summer-dry regions of the West see little of that, fortunately.
Good to know! I’ve seen other recommendations for Suntan in our area so that may be worth a try. I was considering Mendocino Cox as an option as well.
I think the Cinnamon Spice was past it’s prime - mealy. It did have a nice spicy flavor, though it reminded me more of anise than cinnamon. Pretty mild in taste, but a really beautiful and distinctive-looking fruit. Another one I’d consider experimenting with if I had enough space, just to see if a homegrown fruit was better.
The online market I bought the Winesaps from uses the same stock image for Winesap and Stayman Winesap, so I definitely have concerns about their labeling practices! I’d like to add both to my orchard but I’m avoiding the scion exchanges, since they seem incredibly common to mix up.
I think my picture is of the original Winesap but if anyone here has doubts I’d love to know - it was delicious so I want to make sure I find the right variety.
Anyone remember Alar? It was often used to reduce the splitting on Stayman and when the chemical was banned quite a few Stayman growers quit growing that apple.
I used an organic product called Novagib last year which completely eliminated the split problem on Stayman. I used it on Goldrush too but the Goldrush still split like crazy. All my Goldrush were on B9 rootstock but purchased from three different nurseries
Your pic does look like a WS to me, at least the ones I’ve seen.
Good luck on your WS quest.
I know what you mean, I think I have regular Winesap, but I wouldn’t guarantee it.
(They did crack open, I had a hard time finding even a dozen hand picked out of hundreds on the tree tht were not cracked. Kept 3 or 4 for six or more weeks in refrigerator, and made a pie before Thanksgiving…and ate one that was pretty good with most of the acid mellowed out.
The don’t keep the shape when cooking, as in pies, but that doesn’t keep it from making flavorful pie.)
Absolutely gorgeous photos. They remind me of Lee Calhoun’s southern apples book. I was lucky enough to meet him and get him to sign my book when I visited century farms orchard in north Carolina in the fall. I want to try one of the red flesh apples this year. Is it all the unique look or does the taste stand out as well? The info on Arkansas black is helpful. Basically mine were hard as a rock. I need to leave them in storage as suggested for a keeper apple. Thanks for sharing!!!
The taste is distinctly different. The red pigments tend to add a berry-like flavor. Most, though not all, are more tart than the average apple.
Pink Pearl is a good one to try, if you can. If you graft, @derekamills offers a dizzying array of red-fleshed apple scions for sale.
Thanks for the info! If I can get one more tree past my family, I’m all in. At 42 trees, they think I’m crazy 
. My husband says it’s empty nest syndrome. (at 62?)
Oh thank you! It’s been a fun project to document.
And yes, like @jerry said, the red pigment usually comes with delicious berry notes. A lot of them suffer from being difficult to ripen and they don’t transport well, but they’re a fantastic group of apples. I’ve already started growing a bunch I’ve never sampled because the whole family is so intriguing. The Pink Pearl and Mountain Rose both have a great sweet/tart balance and berry candy flavors, though I find Pink Pearl to be more reliable in texture around here and I like the flavor more.
I love the pics and info on the pink apples. Very new to me!
I am raising a small apple orchard for eating and cider: Albemarle pippin, Gold Rush, Kidds Orange Red, Pink Lady, Ralls. Hopefully this will be my first year of good production – my trees are now 3-4 years old.
I’m in zone 6B. Can anyone recommend a pink/blush apple for our area?
I’m not sure where “our area” is…but here in 6b in Kentucky I am experimenting with lots of pink and red fleshed apples. Niedzwetzkyana is easy…but it doesn’t taste very good. Redfield…I’m waiting on blooms and fruit. But I have near 30 red fleshed apples…many are 2018 and 2019 grafts…and still won’t bear in 2020.
Redfield and Otterson for cider. (Or, probably most any red fleshed apple is good for cider.)
Pink Parfait, i’m waiting. Wine Kist…waiting. Red Devil…waiting. Blood delicious…waiting.
etc.
Thanks BlueBerry! We are in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. I’ll start looking around for trees. I’ll look forward to hearing more about your successes.
Incidentally, Winesap has long been grown in our area very successfully and is a really nice all-purpose apple, with a decent tang.
This apple is rather dry, and quite astringent…not one you’d grab and eat normally.
But, Juice, cider jelly…fine.
Many of the available red flesh apples are children of this one.
But, the Etter
apples in California are from different genetics.
(Niedzwetzkyana….makes a nice tree, deep pink blooms in spring.). Somewhat pyramidal in growth habit.
Not sure about your area, but I’ve grafted Redfield and Pendragon for cider! I’m gathering as many Etter apples as possible too - some of them seem to have cider potential. This year I’ll be grafting Niedzwetzkyana and Winekist as well. I have a long list of red-fleshed apples to acquire - not sure what will do best in my climate but they’re so cool, might as well try.
The Etter reds all do well here, as do Mott’s Pink and Airlie Red Flesh. Can’t vouch for Red Devil or Devonshire Quarrenden yet, as I just obtained those last season, but I suspect that they’ll be fine. This is a pretty apple-friendly environment, with relatively low disease pressure.
I’ve lost Rubaiyat, Grenadine, Baya Marisa, Cierce and Firecracker/Hanson’s Red Flesh. But, I still have 29 red fleshed kinds… Only Niedzwetzkyana and Bakran have I gotten to eat yet. Odysso had fruits but varmints got them before they were grown last summer. The others are grafts I’ve done, and most have not grown as much as hoped for and can’t be clipped on yet for wood. Hoping Redfield will bloom this year and I’ll get to sample it…but not sure.
It is a cider apple, as is Otterson, which I grafted in 2019. I suspect most of the red fleshed would make acceptable cider.
Melanie, I’m in 6b southwest Virginia and have a small orchard too. I’ve had relatively little fruit and I think I am pruning my apples back too hard–I’m pruner happy. My pink lady looks good though with nice scaffolds and structure. I’m trying to leave those two year growths! I tried my hand at grafting but would like to do more in earnest in the coming year. My biggest successes were Belle of Georgia peach and Red Delicious. Many of my apples are heirloom, largely from Dave at Century Farms in North Carolina. I use limb spreaders and try to go organic. I also got bees last year and I am optimistic about a good crop. (If the warm winter doesnt hit too hard) It would be nice to find someone close by with a similar setup.