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["Brungardt, Sam" <Sam.Brungardt@state.mn.us>]

Last Saturday I bought some Golden Russets at the St. Paul Farmers Market as well as some Snowsweets (the Univ. of Minnesota’s new introduction).  It is the first time I’ve seen Golden Russet offered in the almost 30 years I’ve patronized the market.  I was really looking forward to enjoying this fabled apple.  Well, the taste was somewhat disappointing, leading me to question whether my preferences were out of step with what is supposedly one of the better flavored apples.  The Golden Russets were hard and crisp, but lacked the sweetness that I expected.   They were fairly sour.  The ground color is greenish rather than golden yellow and I wonder whether they were at optimal maturity when they were picked.  I will set a few aside in the refrigerator (or front porch, as we’ve already had snow) and see how they taste after they’ve matured a little more off the tree.

 

The Snowsweets did not disappoint.  The white flesh is very slow to oxidize, tender and fine-grained, and the flavor is very good, but lacking the aroma or perfume I look for in a really fine eating apple.  They would be outstanding in a Waldorf salad. – Sam Brungardt, St. Paul, Minn. (USDA Zone 4b)

 

 

From: nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Ed Fackler
Sent: Tuesday, October 13, 2009 9:45 AM
To: North American Fruit Explorers
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Golden Russet apple

 

Andy:

     I'd suspect that the "good" one is the true Golden Russet.  And the other Golden Russet sounds like the one I had...or just okay, not great, matured later (mid Oct.) with a very weeping or willowy growth habit.

ed

On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 10:21 AM, Whipple, Andy <ANWHIPPLE@tayloru.edu> wrote:

Brian and Ed,

 

I have two different Golden Russets in my little orchard.  One is a small-medium,  fairly round fruit, that is one of our favorites  (east central Indiana, zone 5b, maybe an hour east and north from Brian).  It is ready in late September – early October at which time it is hard, crisp, quite sweet and juicy  yet with many other flavors so as to make it quite tasty.  It’s much more than simply sweet.  The other Golden Russet produces fruit that are medium in size and rather flattened in shape.  They are sweet and adequately juicy, but not nearly as full-flavored as the other Golden Russet.  That tree I’ve top worked to other varieties given its lesser quality of fruit.

 

This year I had the most fireblight I’ve had in the orchard, but I don’t recall the good Golden Russet being infected.  With just one tree, though, that’s not much to go on

 

So which of these is the True Golden Russet?  I don’t know, but perhaps Ed can comment.  We really do like the eating out of hand quality of the round Golden Russet, though  I can’t comment on its use in hard cider.

 

Andy Whipple, just outside of Upland, Indiana

 

From: nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Ed Fackler
Sent: Tuesday, October 13, 2009 9:58 AM
To: North American Fruit Explorers
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] Golden Russet apple

 

Brian:

     I was never that impressed with it's flavor even when fully mature.  And it is hyper sensitive to fireblight.

ed

On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 9:54 AM, Raby, Brian <brian.raby@roche.com> wrote:

Wanted to throw this out to the audience.  My friend and I are beginning our experiment with apples to test for our hard cider brew.  He had heard that Golden Russets were a good apple to use in the mix so last weekend he bought a bushel to press and test.

I've got one at my desk right now and as I'm chomping into it, I'm not very impressed with the flavor or the juiciness (concerned about how much liquid we will get from the pressing).  Kind of reminds me of Honeycrisp with the snap that you get when you bite into it.

Is this one of those apples that getting better as it sits?  I'd say the apple was picked a little premature because the exterior, except for the russeting, is more green than yellow.  But then, I don't know much about the apple.

Thanks,

Brian
Zone 5a/b
Sheridan, IN


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