North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Vintage Virginia Apples LLC" <fruit@vintagevirginiaapples.com>]

We have put in a number of apples, including more than a dozen early
varieties, but most have yet to fruit for us, having gone in oven the last
three or four years.  Pristine gave us just a few apples last year and taste
wise, it was superior in my opinion to its Lodi and Yellow Transparent
ancestry.  MonArk was also very good.  Of course, I am not expecting a lot
in the keeping quality arena, but have not had enough to test thus far.
Summer Rambo has a number of different strains apparently, but a good one is
an outstanding early apple.  We have two here, and one is an "improved"
variety that is soso albeit very productive, and the other is excellent.
Early Harvest should not be overlooked.  I do not have Ginger Gold.  There
is a commercial orchard just south of here where it originated with several
thousand trees and I think their supply is sufficient for what taste wise is
a soso apple.  Of course, I realize that I am a fan of the richer flavored,
tart/sweet winey flavors.   The bland and sweet formula so common in most of
the bigger commercial apples does not do much for me.  I am looking forward
to Carolina Red June and Chenango Strawberry this year.

I think questions like this and the answers you are receiving from around
the country is a wonderful use of this list.  Please remember to identify
your location everybody. A signature as to location would be helpful.  I
forget that Lucky is in Kentucky for example until he mentions it.  Which
end of the state are you?  What's your elevation.... That adds an important
dimension to your obsverations.  ( I am in central Virginia as you may have
deduced and am at about 800 feet.)

By the way,  I have just begun updating  our Vintage Virginia Apples
website, www.vintagevirginiaapples.com, one aim of which is to record
descriptions of the apples we are growing and to update that with our
experiences with the same as they come into fruiting.  We should have fruit
from about fifty varieties this year, and I hope to be able to keep up with
this project.  What started out as a hobby, driven a great deal by our
NAFEX experiences and the people I have met through  the organization, has
outgrown that frame and my family and I are turning it into a small business
that we hope to grow in several ways as time goes by and my brothers and I
are able to retire from other careers. We have started selling a few apples,
now a few trees...we offer workshops...we are looking at cider...
Suggestions are welcome.  Incidentally, we are offering some rootstocks and
scionwood for sale this year.

We have about 230 varieties of apples, maybe 30 peaches, a dozen or so
plums, a few cherries and are beginning to experiment with quince and pears.
This for the query as to what everybody is growing.

And while I am at it, do give some thought to attending the annual NAFEX
meeetings whenever you can.  It is an exchange that everyone on this list
can derive benefit and enjoyment from.  Vicki Caron is working on this
summers event in New Hampshire August 21--23 and it should be
oustanding--the locale alone will be worth a great deal.  As Ethan Natelson
has pointed out, 2004 will be in Missouri and 2005 is expected to be in
California.

Warm regards to all from the frigid South--we had a heat wave today, climbed
into the 30s.

Charlotte Shelton
Vintage Virginia Apples LLC
P. O. Box 210
North Garden, Virginia 22959
www.vintagevirginiaapples.com


-----Original Message-----
From: nafex-admin@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:nafex-admin@lists.ibiblio.org]On Behalf Of Michael Glassford
Sent: Wednesday, January 29, 2003 10:16 AM
To: apples-n@lists.ibiblio.org; nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [NAFEX] Early apple


1) I'm looking for early-season apples: either one (ripening somewhere from
July to Mid August) or perhaps two (one from July to early August, the other
from Mid to late August). Best would be apples that are very good for both
fresh eating and cooking (primarily apple sauce/butter and a few pies); next
best would be either very good eating and decent cooking, or very cooking
and decent eating. Recommendations, anyone?

2) To "prime the pump", here's a list of the best possibilities that I've
found so far. Any information, comments, or recommendations about any of
these apples would help me a lot.

Iowa Beauty
Liveland Raspberry
Mantet
Melba
Mollie's Delicious
Norland
Oriole
Quinte
Redfree
State Fair
William's Pride
Zestar


Thanks,

Mike
Zone 5 near Bangor, ME
_______________________________________________
nafex mailing list
nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
Most questions can be answered here:
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
File attachments are accepted by this list; please do not send binary files,
plain text ONLY!
Message archives are here:
https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/nafex
To view your user options go to:
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/nafex/XXXX@XXXX (where XXXX@XXXX is
YOUR email address)
NAFEX web site:   http://www.nafex.org/