North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["loneroc" <loneroc@mwt.net>]

Howdy,

My Vista Bella started ripening a week ago and I now have all the apples I
could want--for about two more weeks.  Interesting that folks further south
and east are only now starting to get fruit.

Steve H.
Lone Rock, WI


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Charlotte Shelton" <fruit@vintagevirginiaapples.com>
To: "'North American Fruit Explorers'" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Thursday, July 13, 2006 8:51 PM
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] MonArk apple


> We picked MonArk this week here (central Virginia)...it is probably
> still our best flavored early apple.  I took a MonArk, a Gravenstein and
> an Arkcharm into the office for tasting.  MonArk won the most votes,
> probably because the texture was more crisp than the Gravenstein...the
> Arkcharm was a bit unripe--quite tart, but it had decent
> flavor...reminded my secretary of the green apples she ate as a child.
> This was our first fruit and I will try it again in a week or so.  It
> should be good for sauce, is another large red or red over green apple,
> beautiful really.  It is also out of the now closed University of
> Arkansas breeding program.  Gravenstein has wonderful flavor...we just
> do not have much of a market for early apples in this country, it seems.
> We are promoting MonArk for an early apple in our nursery because it is
> fairly easy to grow, your troubles notwithstanding,Lucky, shows some
> disease resistance and is truly good.  Jill Vorbeck touts its culinary
> virtues--she brought a MonArk tart to a NAFEX meeting a couple of years
> ago,  and it is truly divine in my mother's baked apple dishes.  It has
> delightful complexity when cooked as well as being good for eating out
> of hand.
>
> Charlotte Shelton
> P.O. Box 210
> North Garden, Virginia 22959
> www.vintagevirginiaapples.com
>
>