Anyone have interested according to the state they grew up in or came from?
I’ve lived in rural Michigan all my life, my love of apples started in 2015. After lots of digging I have only found 2 known varieties that have come from Michigan. Opalescent and Paula Red, though not the top of most folks flavor lists, i’m excited to have scion coming from both varieties this year to add to my orchard.
Anyone else find interesting stuff about your state?
I live in GA right now. I have researched the apples GA and there are a lot! Too many for me to really focus on getting all of them. Still, I do use it as a factor in selecting varieties.
I wanted to try one of the Limbertwigs, and narrowed it down to a few varieties people spoke highly of. The tie-breaker for me was that the Black Limbertwig supposedly came from Georgia.
I think the next Georgia apple I will get is Yates.
Well, of course, the apple originally going by the name Delicious and then bastardized in its many sports as Red Delicious is from Iowa. The original strain now goes by “Hawkeye” and “Hawkeye Delicious” to set it apart from its bitter-skinned and cardboard-flavored clones.
Iowa was once a hotbed of enterprising orchardists, nurserymen, and horticulturalists on the lookout for new varieties of fruit. The archives of our state’s horticulture publications tell us as much. But alas, these days it has faded completely from its former glory, and we had thousands upon thousands of acres of monoculture row crop of corn and soy to look at. Of course, the path taken might have been different, as our neighbor to the north retains at the very least, a semblance of a fruit breeding program (though its intentions now can be called into question, and we shall see if they ever release quality fruit to the public domain again).
@Chikn and I have discussed these Iowa heirloom varieties here: Iowa Heritage Apples and Pears
I am growing Chieftain, Hawkeye Delicious, and Beierschmidt pear (on Winter Banana on Enterprise).
Do interspecific hybrids, genetically engineered, CRISPR gene edited and domesticated varieties in California count? Or just the heirlooms? There are hundreds of cultivars developed by Luther Burbank that are now considered as heirloom in California. That’s just from Luther Burbank. There’s Zaiger Genetics, Monsanto, Bayer, Genentech… We have various biotech companies that are developing many plants of various uses. Federal and State government funded breeding programs and germplasm repository are also in California. California also has native and endemic fruits but mostly aren’t commercialized.
Yes and no. I like heirlooms wherever they are from. Many of the fruits I grow are not even from this country. I do have a couple local heirloom tomatoes. Although origins are probably other states a commercial seed company here first offered them.
Early Detroit -
Maturity midseason
Growth habit indet.
Leaf type regular
Fruit color pink
Fruit shape oblate
Fruit size medium
Fruit type slicer
Variety type open-pollinated, commercial heirloom
Country USA
67 days, indeterminate — Firm and juicy, beautifully bright-pink, two to four ounce, globe-shaped, fruits with a good flavor and a sweet aftertaste.
Bred by Mr. Rosendahl of Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas and released by the D. M. Ferry Seed Company in 1909. Our seed originated from USDA GRIN accession number PI 355097.
An interesting historical fact is that ‘Gulf State Market’ was found by Walter Richards of Crystal Springs, Mississippi as a single plant in a field of ‘Early Detroit’ tomatoes in 1917.
Early Detroit No.17 -
Maturity early
Growth habit indet.
Leaf type regular
Fruit color pink
Fruit shape globe, oblate
Fruit size small
Fruit type
Variety type commercial heirloom
Country USA
70 days, indeterminate — The globe to oblate-shaped fruits weigh in the two to five ounce range, are pink colored, firm fleshed but reasonably juicy and have a good flavor with a slightly sweet finish.
We are still researching the exact history of this variety but do know the following. In 2003 we obtained samples from the USDA and trialed both ‘Early Detroit’ (GRIN accession number PI 355097) as well as this variety, ‘Early Detroit No. 17’ (GRIN accession number NSL 43543). The were very similar but obviously different. Different enough that the D. M. Ferry Seed Company gave them different names when they released them in 1909 and 1931 respectively.
Sadly, the USDA for whatever reason, has discontinued maintaining ‘Early Detroit No. 17’. We are doing our best to keep it available to our gardening friends, but if this is one of your favorite varieties, you may want consider saving seed.
Loring peach was the closest recorded peach to me, developed at Mountain Grove MO. It’s know for winter tenderness in the northern part of the state, along with all of it’s relatives (Johnboy, Johnboy II, Topaz, Glenglo). Not to say that all of these are at an extreme disadvantage, but at least mildly so.
I have every available variety of apple originating from Arkansas.
Apples from Washington include: Auvil Early Fuji (g. 2018), Buckley Giant (g. 2017), Chehalis (2010), Cosmic Crisp, Criterion, Nisqually Seedling, Palouse, Pomeroy (new found poss. seedling- than you Chris! g. 2017), Raven, Spokane Beauty, and Turtleback.
Just arrived today, Secor and Maude!
I forgot I have Red Haven Peach, and PF lucky 13 both Michigan cultivars. I also have Liberty blueberry developed by MSU, MSU developed a few others. I don’t grow apples, have little interest in them. If I had endless room, I would grow some. I’m more a nectarine and plum guy, now were talking!
Might be able to add a couple more to your list of Michigan apples: Fall Russet and Shiawassee Beauty (both described by Burford, I think). And there have to be more, right?
As far as Massachusetts apples, we are growing American Beauty, Hunt Russet, Mother, Roxbury Russet, Westfield Seek No Further, and Wheeler’s Golden Russet. There’s a bunch more out there.
Well, we do have our own tomato up here - Early Chatham. (a side note for those not familiar with Michigan - the Upper Peninsula (U.P.) generally considers itself a different state than lower Michigan (the mitten part). Anyway, the tomato is really a shared variety. Bred by Dr. Yaeger at the MSU Experiment Station at Chatham (U.P.) in the early 40’s it was tested and named when he was here, but I think he started it in North Dakota and maybe relesed it in New Hampshire (they claim it, too). It was one of the first early determinate tomatoes so important in its day. Gone now. I grew it for awhile with old seed from a Vermont seed saver (o.s. Canada) and some from the U.P. It was a small, red, reliable, juicy, early, small determinate plant, but there were much better tomatoes even for here so I dropped it. Later I found a description and photo of the original Early Chatham, they were larger and meatier. As far as I know, the variety is extinct. But I’m guessing those genes live on in some of the current early tomatoes.
We also have an incredible diversity of roadside apples, each unique, a wonder of natural breeding. I have a grafted CowGate and a Wolfe in my orchard. And who knows, maybe my own wild Lilli, Bulero, Mr C, Sasha, Ditto or Cali will be the next wonder of the world of apples. Then again, maybe not. But I like them. Sue
I’m not aware of any apples that originated in Arizona, but I am growing trees I grafted from a old tree growing on the old homestead of Virgil Earp (Wyatt Earp’s brother) in Kirkland Arizona.
The variety has yet to be identified, but when my tree starts fruiting I may get some help with that, as I have a neighbor who’s brother did a lot of local apple tree identification. Looking at, or dissecting the trunk of the old Earps apple may tell if its grafted, or a seedling. It was almost dead when the friend who loves the apples, and wanted a tree, got me scions in 2015.
You may consider yourselves a different state but you’re not. 
I’ve been to the UP, it’s a great place.
I said recognized varieties, absolutely there are roadside apples everywhere in MI that some old homesteads beloved treasure just never made it past the family. Those stories are the best part of some of this stuff, but unfortunately they die with most folks that knew anything about it.
Interesting, i’ve never heard of these 2 varieties you mention and i’ve scoured the internet. They are certainly out there now that i search them by name. Good to know thanks!
We’re growing Fall Russet, as it happens. Just entering its first year after bench grafting last spring, but it’s doing well for us so far. I believe we got the scion wood from Maple Valley. I was interested in it partly because Burford talks it up pretty enthusiastically (it’s supposed to be very good eating, similar to Pomme Gris, and it’s one of the apples that he rates as most disease resistant), and partly because it sounded like the russets that my dad remembered eating when he was growing up in MI (West Branch area, though his family later moved to the Soo). I have not seen a source for Shiawassee Beauty that I can remember offhand.
Nope SB seems to be impossible to find so far, but i’ll keep kicking the tires.
Maple Valley has now closed down at least since 2016 because the owner is sick or to old, 1 of the 2.
Grin has fall russet so if nothing else i will hopefully acquire it that way next year.
I know Maple Valley was out of commission for a while, but it looks like they’re back up and running now (the original owner took on a new partner, I believe). We got some very nice scion wood from them last year, and they appear to be taking orders for this spring. They didn’t happen to have what I was looking for, but Fall Russet is on their list for this year, if you’re interested. Deadline is March 15th.
Here’s the link for your convenience:
My bad last time i checked in with them they told me they were closed so i just assumed. Good to know thanks!
It’s very sad that our fruit growing heritage has been mostly lost here in Kansas. Off the top of my head, I can only think of Stayman Apple, Douglas Pear and Sunflower Paw Paw.