But Lo! What Apple is This?

[hrj]

My new house came with an apple tree. When I took possession, the tree was rather sad from underwatering and the little green apples on it had a tendency to drop despairingly to the ground untimely. Not having any idea what variety it was, I wasn't sure what signs of ripeness to look for, but today I gathered up the dozen or so apples still remaining on the tree and decided to do some investigation.

One of the problems turns out to be that it's a green apple -- that is, green when ripe. A few of the fruits have a yellowish cast, but I think that means they're over-ripe. Some minor speckling on the upper side. I cut and peeled the nicest-looking of the bunch and gave it a taste test. Crisp and firm; sweet -- definitely not meant to be a pie apple. It's a pity I have something of an aversion to eating apples plain and raw. (I think it's a childhood trauma from too many tasteless, mealy Red Deliciouses in the lunch box.) I've peeled and cored the rest of the lot and turned them into applesauce (plenty of cinnamon, no added sugar).

Assuming it's a common variety, it seems likely to be a Golden Delicious, but if it's an unusual variety I'd need someone more expert to narrow it down. I'm still debating what I might want to add in the way of apple trees. (This would be as part of the pre-1600 fruit trees plan.) Something that would be a good cooking apple would be nice.

Comments

[ritaxis.livejournal.com]

If it's really green when ripe it is not a Golden Delicious. A Golden Delicious is quite, quite yellow when ripe, and actually is at its best when it is ever so slightly orangeish.

Other than that I do not know. My Newton Pippin is green, and sweet, with a lovely complex flavor and I never add sugar to applesauce made from its apples, but you wouldn't taste it and say "definitely not a cooking apple."

I don't know what varieties of apple are pre-1600 that would do well in a California climate, even an inland one, but if you don't care about the variety being old and you just mean the species, let me put in a vote for Gravenstein. I am very happy with my Newton Pippin but if I had it to do over I'd have gone for the Gravenstein, as I like it at least as well, and it is more suited to the climate and has a smaller tree.

Also: I cannot emphasize strongly enough" go for a true dwarf or resolve your self to a lot of heavy pruning in the early years, or you will regret it when you are a little old lady.

[shalmestere.livejournal.com]

Is that the same thing as a "Newtown Pippin" (an heirloom variety which was developed, coincidentally, about a mile from where I live :-D)?

[ritaxis.livejournal.com]

Why,yes, it is, and I do in fact, somewhere in the recesses of my memory, know the correct spelling -- thank you for the gentle correction!

[shalmestere.livejournal.com]

Sorry 'bout that! I wasn't trying to correct you--I was actually wondering whether the the name was a regional variation, or a different species altogether :-)

[hrj.livejournal.com]

Ok, so probably not a Golden Delicious. It appears to be a dwarf, since it doesn't look like it's been pruned carefully in several years and yet is no more than 15' or so. I'm planning to stick to dwarf trees in the back yard because it lets me fit more in (and so I don't have more of any one fruit than I'm interested in processing or eating).

[katyhh.livejournal.com]

From what you describe, it could be a "Granny Smith" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granny_Smith) which is very common over here ...
I agree with ritaxis that it would not be a Golden Delicious.

[shalmestere.livejournal.com]

Granny Smith apples (in the U.S., anyway) are tart, not sweet.

[hrj.livejournal.com]

And this one is definitely not tart. I made the rest of the apples up into sauce and it's rather disappointing since I'm very much on the tart/sour side of the fence in my tastes. I found another apple higher up on the tree and have taken some pictures to post.

[sibylle]

do you have a photo of some of the apples? that'd help identifying the variety...

[shalmestere.livejournal.com]

I was going to suggest Ginger Gold, based on the "crisp but sweet" part, but in California that variety ripens in July. The speckly skin does sound like some sort of pippin....

[ritaxis.livejournal.com]

I don't know the specific yard, but my fruit all ripens a month later than the typical because of the microclimate -- granted, Walnut Creek isn't likely to have cool summers and excessive shade.

[gunnora.livejournal.com]

You can graft other apple varietals onto that tree. Growing up, my father had what he called a "fruit salad tree", growing apples and plums in various varieties. Each branch was something different.

[hrj.livejournal.com]

Well, some people can graft other varietals onto the tree. Past evidence has suggested that it's beyond the minimal greenness of my thumb. I do like the multi-variety grafts, though, since I like the efficiency. There are several local nurseries that sell multi-graft trees of several fruits, but they're the popular modern varieties and I have these grandiose plans to plant some really really antique ones.

[madbaker.livejournal.com]

We had a Golden Delicious apple tree in our Mtn. View yard when I was growing up. I never knew it, because we always picked and ate or cooked them green. They were much better that way, crisp and sweet rather than mealy and mushy.

[dr-zrfq.livejournal.com]

In my own opinion, the problem with Delicious varieties, both Red and Golden, is that they are only good to eat within two hours after being picked -- and then they start to go mealy and mushy and bland, and do it pretty quickly.

I also don't associate speckling with Delicious varieties at all, though you may have a hybrid Golden Delicious with a Pippin variety. Not sure which of those are still green in color when ripe though.

What's the overall shape of the ripe fruits?

[hrj.livejournal.com]

Definitely "round" and medium sized (tennis-ballish). I'll post pix and that may help. But as I noted, if it's one of the more obscure varieties, who knows what it might be.

[kahnegabs.livejournal.com]

The Braeburn grows very well here and is very tasty raw, in sauce and in pies. (I like tart apples.)

[kahnegabs.livejournal.com]

I agree with the folks who think your tree is a gravenstien That's what it looked like to me.

[hrj.livejournal.com]

The orangepippin.com web site claims that Gravensteins normally have at least some red streaking and that they aren't self-fertile, both of which argue against it.

[maeva00.livejournal.com]

How big is the tree? If it has been neglected,pruning might help. Also I agree with grafting. We have a tree that has 7 varieties (early, middle, late) on it. It is quite funny to see in the spring, some branches are in blossom, some leafed out and some still bare. We will get some apples off of it, even in the worst years.

You could consult with your local orchard specialist at the County Extension service. There also might be a hobby apple growers group, here in the Seattle area it is called the Western cascade fruit society. They can let you know all kinds of varieties, cultivation tricks, etc.

[hrj.livejournal.com]

See my comments to gunnora above on grafting. I'm not really "into" apples, per se, but since there are a number of pre-1600 varieties available and they're a staple of medieval cookery, I'll definitely plant at least one more -- possibly two.