North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

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

Correction-Jill Vorbeck is not the Nafex treasurer, but is membership chair.

Mark

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark & Helen Angermayer" <>
To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Tuesday, October 23, 2007 2:19 PM
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] best apples


> 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
>
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