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["Alan Haigh" <alandhaigh@gmail.com>]

Alan Haigh, The Home Orchard Co., Carmel NY

 

In recent discussion of useful tart apple cultivars, one variety unmentioned but deserving is Idared.  While it's not the dense fleshed and complex apple that I most prefer, people who like the texture of a Cortlandt but something tart should love this apple.  It's juicy and is considered an excellent cooker, reasonably firm, stores well and most of all, unbelievably annually productive wherever I've grown it, even when allowed to over-bare. 

 

 I think iIdared is probably  a regional variety and may not be suited for climates much hotter than the Hudson Valley in NY.  I forgot to mention that It's quite tastey and also a very attractive apple with some resistance to sooty blotch and flyspeck.  I harvested some today (Oct. 31) that recieved only 3 sprays and they were clean enough to sell in a grocery store.  In this region late apples are seldom so clean out of this low-spray program that provides no protection against summer fungus

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