Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

nafex - [NAFEX] best apples article

nafex@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: haighal@aol.com
  • To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [NAFEX] best apples article
  • Date: Sat, 20 Oct 2007 18:53:45 -0400

 
If you are going to discuss “best apples” it’s useful to add some context.  Do you mean best fresh-picked off your own trees, or best out of your cellar or refrigerator throughout the following winter.  If you mean out of the store where atmosphere controlled storage followed waxing it is a much different piece of information.
 
I believe most people judge the quality of an apple based on how it tastes “fresh”- that is uncooked and not dried.  Most Nafex members are probably most interested in the quality of apples from their own trees and I wouldn’t be surprised if for most of us the greatest priority is how they taste out of common storage.  Don’t you eat the majority of your apples from November through February? 
 
Sure Cox is a wonderful experience to eat but it ripens too early to store well.  When it’s ready to pick I’m still dealing with peaches!  Someone mentioned Honeycrisp as a good storage apple that keeps its crunch- maybe in CO2 storage but not out of my cellar! 
 
I’m interested in hearing from growers who have a few years experience with the varieties they recommend.  I’m also interested in where and under what conditions they’re growing them.  Apples vary a ton season to season and 2 tons region to region.  I see big differences in same varieties even site to site in the same climate.
 
As for me, amongst my most important apples are Roxbury Russett, Baldwin, Goldrush, Jonagold, Braeburn, and Golden Russett with honorable mention to Jonathon (can’t store).  I choose these not just for their taste and keeping qualities but because they’re easy to grow and productive.  Like everybody, my tastes change and are always different than yours and even if you grow the varieties I mention they won’t taste like mine.
 
Alan Haigh, Home Orchard Company, Southeastern New York, zone 6

Email and AIM finally together. You've gotta check out free AOL Mail!



Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page