>
> I am looking to add several apple trees and these are my first round picks:
>
> Gravenstein
> Grimes Golden
> Smokehouse
> Wolf River
> Hudson's Golden Gem
> Fiesta
>
> I am in SE Ohio, zone 6 with very heavy clay soil most of it sloped. I am
> looking for 1) apples with excellent flavor for fresh eating 2) interesting
> apples for sauce and cooking 3) disease resistance
>
> I am also looking for suggestions for crab apples good for canning and
> making jelly.
>
> Thanks!
>
> deb
Deb, forget the Wolf River, unless you want a big apple, easy to grow, that
produces a bland but smooth apple sauce. For fresh eating it is the least
interesting of all the apples I grow -- similar old apples like Wealthy are
much better. If you like crisp apples (and Wolf River is quite crisp) try
Sweet Sixteen, Fireside or Zestar all of which have much more flavor. The
other suggestion people have made are good too. Similarly Gravenstein,
whilst it is okay, is really only interesting because it is early. Another
productive general purpose cooking apple is Red Baron, but you are two
zones warmer than me and have plenty of other options.