I, too, find the choices listed in the original article odd: Fuji,
Gala, Granny Smith, HoneyCrisp, McIntosh, Mutsu. For one thing, if
this is supposed to be a guide to a beginning orchardist, there
aren't many places where Fuji and HoneyCrisp will both thrive. The
choices certainly reflect the changing taste preferences, where
"sweet" is dominant over "sub-acid."
Of the one tart apple on the list, I've never been fond of Granny
Smith, and have long wondered how it came into prominence as other
better tart apples have disappeared into obscurity. Especially odd to
me is the fall of the Rhode Island Greening, practically unheard of
now, but once (according to Beach's Apples of New York) been among
the top three most widely grown varieties in the Northeast.
Message: 2
Date: Mon, 22 Oct 2007 12:42:06 -0700
From: "ROBERT W JUDY A HARTMAN" <hartmansfruit@msn.com>
Subject: Re: [NAFEX] best apples article
To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Message-ID: <BAY107-DAV53C5BE396A6F761D817F6A79A0@phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Keepsake is also one of my favorite apples. It does well here in
western Washington. It won't ripen well unless you have full sun on
it in the September/October time of the year. Honeycrisp also does
well here. It is very nice and crisp but doesn't match up with it's
parent, Keepsake, in flavor. I also like the full flavored Sweet
Sixteen, a sister to Keepsake, but it tends to not hold it's
crispness very long.
I have seen and tasted Keepsake and Sweet Sixteen at fruit shows that
were not grown very well and didn't have the flavor that I can grow
them to. Under what conditions fruits have been grown makes a world
of difference in how they taste.