North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Mark & Helen Angermayer" <hangermayer@isp.com>]

Thanks to all for the comments/recommendations for best tasting apples for
what might do well here.  At a minimum it has narrowed the field for me.

I also stumbled across the late Tom Vorbeck's recommendations.  Tom and
Jill's orchard is at the same latitude as KC, so hopefully those apples that
work in Illinios, might also here:

http://www.applesource.com/growtips.html

I didn't know Jill Vorbeck (Nafex Treasurer) was still selling apple
samplers.  Good to know.

Also Bob you mentioned Ed Fackler's recommendations.  For any that haven't
seen them before, I post them below:



     1. Sweet 16  --  expensive bourbon with a shot of vanilla!  Much easier
to
grow up north.
     2. Spigold - Complex, intense and very juicy (difficult to grow because
of
its Spy habits).
     3.  Suncrisp - Intense "cox" flavor with more sugars.
     4.  Freyberg - Banana-like with a touch of overripe raspberry.
     5.  Hokuto - While subject to season (requires much sun late), it is a
mix
of Mutsu acids with Fuji sugars.
     6.  GoldRush - Battery acid off the tree---heavenly at Christmas and
keeps
through May if stored in plastic.
     7.  Braeburn - Murder to grow (sus. to every apple problem), but
possesses
enough complex acids to make it great.
     8.  Jonagold - For the new-to-the-game (of apple flavors), it is a very
pleasing mix of dead-ripe Jonathan and sugars of Golden.  Easy to eat.
     9.  Rubinette -  A sweeter, milder (and juicier) version of Suncrisp,
but
ripens some 2 weeks earlier.
     10.  Newtown - (Not to eat prior to Jan. 1)  At this time, it is simply
great, many subtle complexities.
     11. ArkCharm - Great for about 17.5 mins. off the tree (no storage).
Rich
and easy to eat.
     12.  Orin - Wonderful in some (hot) seasons, bland in others.  A mild
pineapple-like flavor in most years.
     13.  Shizuka - A sweeter and juicier version of Mutsu which ripens
about 10
da. prior.
     14.  NovaSpy - Great complexity (which slight vanilla-bourbon) and
easier
to grow than most Spy sibs.
     15.  Sundowner - The highest flavored of the new "Austrailian" group
which
can only be grown near the equator (due to extremely late ripening)!
     16.  Honeycrisp - For those who equate flavor with its wonderful
texture.
     17.  Fuji - See descrip. of Honeycrisp.
     18.  Hudson's Gold Gem - When properly picked, it compares to really
great
european pear (Collette, Magness, etc.).  Difficult to grow due to shy
production and fruit cracking.
     19.  Melrose - When starved for n., it is one of the finest tart apples
I've eaten, otherwise not much.
     20.  Keepsake - Very shy, but flavor is great on the one apple you get
every five years or so!

     There you have it, or these are a few which come to mind.

     Hope this helps.  I'd be extremely interested in hearing of others.
Hey,
Jill Vorbeck, lets have it!!!!

Ed

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Bob Hartman
To: North American Fruit Explorers
Sent: Monday, October 22, 2007 10:44 PM
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] best apples article


Mark,

I can only judge them by how they have been here (in western Washington).
As I recall Gold Rush and Nova Spy fit that description.  I just went out
with my flashlight and picked a Nova Spy and a Gold Rush.  The Nova Spy that
I picked wasn't quite ripe enough.  The Gold Rush was quite good.  As they
are grown here and to my taste buds as I recall from last year Suncrisp,
Stellar, and Scarlet O'Hara had a little more tartness but I can still eat
them.  I didn't get any Delbard Estivale last year.  I hope to taste it this
year.  Gold Rush is definitely crisp and sweet.

As you can see I made it a point to obtain these varieties to try here
because they were on Ed's "best" list someplace.  All these tend to ripen
very late here in our climate.  Your best bet is to try them there and see
how they do.  What I do is obtain different varieties that "sound good" and
give them a try and if they don't work out here I have a friendly chipper
and they are added back to the soil.  One of the problems we have here is
scab and I still have some varieties that are susceptible to scab that I
need to get rid of.  I just ate an Orei today that was delicious but you
have to spray for scab.  If you don't have the scab problem you might try
Pink Sugar.  It ripens late here and is very sweet and crisp but I don't
know how it would do in a warm climate.

Bob
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Mark Angermayer
To: North American Fruit Explorers
Sent: Monday, October 22, 2007 8:03 PM
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] best apples article


Big thanks Bob.  Good information.  The opinions are so varied on apple
recommendations, sometimes you don't know who to listen to.  I guess I've
tried to pay close attention to Ed Fackler's advice.  He has a reputation
for not letting nostalgia bias his observations.  And anybody who's raised
700 varieties of apples knows a thing or two.  The thing I don't know is if
his tastes are anything like mine.  Probably not, I think I have more of a
kid's palate.  From what I've tasted, I like a real crisp sweet apple, as I
said, like a Honeycrisp or Fuji.  Some complexity, but more on the sweet
end.  Can't stand a Mac, too tart.  Would you say any of those six heat
friendly apples fit that description, sweet and crisp?

Mark


----- Original Message ----- 
From: Bob Hartman
To: North American Fruit Explorers
Sent: Monday, October 22, 2007 6:56 PM
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] best apples article


Mark,

As far as I know these sub-par Sweet Sixteens and Keepsakes were still grown
around the Puget Sound area here in western Washington.  My best guess is
that they had too much shade either from the tree that they were on or from
surrounding trees.  I've had Keepsake at my place here at about 30 - 35
miles south of Seattle where they happened to be too shaded and they weren't
that good either.  Where we live the latitude isn't what makes the
difference because we are south of Wenatchee (latitude wise) but they can
grow the Fujis and other late ripening varieties and we generally can't
ripen them here.  We have the maritime climate because we are so close to
the Puget Sound water and the Pacific Ocean influence.  The Cascade
Mountains are between us and Wenatchee in eastern Washington.

I did a search in old e-mails from Ed Fackler and here is what he had
reported on for 1999:

      Best apples for the 99 season (So. Indiana with a season of record
heat and drought)

     1.  GoldRush
     2.  Suncrisp
     3.  Delbard Estivale
     4.  NovaSpy
     5.  Stellar
     6.  Scarlet O'Hara

     Worst apples of the season (due primarily to the intense heat)

     1.  Jonagold (soft flesh and weak flavor)'
     2.  Mutsu (much bitter pit)
     3.  Sweet 16 (soft flesh)

Have you tried the varieties that he said have done well for him?  I have a
lot of respect for Ed.  He knows his apples.

Bob Hartman
Western Washington