Here’s a good place to leave comments about apples… or you may have to click on the date link below to see the comments page. I didn’t do it intentionally, but maybe the “updated” theme changed it(???).
You can rate apples you’ve tried on the linked form (just refresh page to rate more than one apple.)
Two nights ago, a bear came into the orchard and ate ALL of my Goldrush, the last Hoover and the last Edward’s Winter. There was a small piece of chewed Goldrush on the ground, so I got a bite (it was delicious). The bear left the Ludacrisp completely alone, even though it was between the Hoover and the other apples. The Ludacrisp aren’t as tasty as the others (although we didn’t get to try the Hoover at all). The only positive thing is that the bear didn’t damage the trees much, only cracking one limb on the Goldrush. What do others do about bears?
And the next night, the bear returned and ate all the Ludacrisp. That’s the end of the 2023 apple season here, I guess… well, I still have a few in the crisper.
I made my first batch of ‘Pristine’ applesauce yesterday. I mixed 3 1/2 pounds ‘Pristine’ apple slices (unpeeled, just cored and cut into eighths) with a shy 1/4 cup raw sugar (45 g to be exact), juice from one lemon and 1/2 cup water and cooked for several hours in a solar oven (actually 2 solar ovens… I started out in the GoSun and realized it was too hot, so I moved them to the Ugli oven where they could simmer slowly.) The end product was delicious, but I’d call it cooked apples instead of applesauce because the slices held their shape. To me, a good applesauce apple breaks down completely, like ‘Yellow Transparent, or ‘Early Harvest’ (for varietals) or ‘Arkansas Black’ (in blends).
What’s your favorite applesauce apple? and Why (what characteristics make the perfect sauce apple to you)?
I’m trying to create a form where folks can rate apples they’ve tried. Because apple taste is personally subjective AND apple quality is highly dependent on environmental factors, including where it was grown, the stage of ripeness when it was harvested, storage conditions and time, etc., I will ask for a bit of context information… and I will start with my own ratings. Here is the second iteration:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfyKHkSrlzUZrObrC6fv0W6llVarYda8Jh0Rry2CLyy4gBj5g/viewform
Picked our first ‘Anna’ apples a few days ago. Not the most flavorful, but not bad considering that most apples need special treatment to grow in our low-chill climate. Ground squirrels are a serious problem and steal fruit way before it’s ripe- even before it’s fully sized. They even ate green pomegranates that were just about golf ball sized.
Hi,
I’m interested in old apple varieties and I am wondering where Charles Downing’s orchard was in Newburgh. Do you know?
Sorry for the slow reply… I don’t look at the admin page as often as I should.
Unfortunately, I’m not familiar with Newburgh, NY, so I don’t know exactly where it was. I doubt that any trace of it is still there, but I’d be delighted to be proven wrong! Some great sources for heritage apples on the East coast include, Fedco (https://www.fedcoseeds.com/trees/), Century Farm Orchards (https://www.centuryfarmorchards.com/) & Big Horse Creek Farm (http://bighorsecreekfarm.com/apple-varieties/).
Best regards,
Anton
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