Blushing Golden was once a variety exclusive to Stark Bros.; I'm not
sure if it still is. Stark Bros. don't tell you much about the trees
they sell, not even roostock type, but I strongly suspect BG is a sport
of Golden Delicious. The take on BG is that it is a very late apple, at
least a month later than Golden Delicious, and that it has a more tart,
spicy flavor than Golden Delicious. It is also said to be an excellent
keeper, which would not be surprising for a sport of Golden Delicious.
It is supposed to develop a pink blush over the yellow background when
fully ripe.
I planted a Blushing Golden five years ago, lured by one of Stark Bros.
end-of season sales. About half price. You can't be sure of the
rootstock with Stark Bros., but it looks to be on M-7. This year it set
a good crop of fruit on the very nicely shaped young tree. But most of
the fruit did not fill out properly, although it was thinned to one per
cluster, and it all dropped prematurely. My apple trees (but not the
pears) suffered a moderate-to-severe bout with fireblight this summer,
and Blushing Golden was one of the hardest hit. I kept snipping the
fireblight off the tree (and many others), and I suspect the fireblight
was also responsible for the premature drop. When the little half-grown
apples came down, they appeared similar to Golden Delicious, perhaps a
bit more conical in shape. However, many of my other trees suffered
fireblight attacks, and it did not cause such a complete fruit drop.
Only time will tell whether this fireblight infection, which was far
more widespread on the apples than I had ever seen before, will return
to haunt me next season. This summer was extremely hot and humid here
(2nd warmest on record), but I don't think that alone was responsible
for the severe infection. If it does not recur, I may be able to ripen
out Blushing Golden next year.
Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA
[NAFEX] Blushing Golden Apple,
Don Yellman, 10/19/2002