August 27, 2008
What The Hell Are These Things?
We've been harvesting a ton of these. An ancient apple tree in Key's yard had never produced in the 8 years she'd been here until we planted a crabapple this spring to pollinate our saplings. Et voilá! as the sweet French girls say in St. Martin. This tree and one next to it arose fecund from the ashheap and produced like welfare mothers.
I can't determine its heritage, though. It's definitely an old Georgia breed, though I wouldn't use an affected term like heirloom. More just old-fashioned, as opposed to the fancy Mendelized Braeburns, Fujis, Mutsus, and the like you buy these days.
I have a guy working for me who has apple orchards with 25 different apples, but he's kind of stumped. The tree next to it he identified as a Red-Striped Early June, and looked very similar, but obviously it produced 6 weeks ago.
So what it is? Not quite red enough for a MacIntosh, or Jonathon. Too early for a winesap. Too tart for a honey crisp. I will say they are slightly tart and medium-sized, but the size is the result of us thinking they were crabapples and not early on thinning the herd, so to speak.
Anyway, we ended up with about 300 of them, but the squirrels took a hundred and the wasps likewise. Still left us about 100. And the slight tartness produces apple pies that will make you slap your gramma down and let a pitbull fuck her, I tell you. That good.
How good the cider is, we shall see. Perhaps a raw youthful jug o' jack is in order for Helen. I'll give it a try. It'll be an experiment, but at least it's better than experimenting on the feral cats around here.
That turned out bad.
Update: Ask and ye shall receive...
I'm really amazed at the knowledge my readers have. I almost feel guilty about calling you Insipids and Retards and such from time to time. RIGS (Retard In Good Standing) PeggyU wanted a picture of the tree. Here it is in all its lack of glory:
To the left you can see the Red Stripe June growing into it. These things need some serious pruning in the fall. But I thought they were sterile crabapples until they produced.
I think I'm going to go with Tbird's Limbertwig identification. Not because it's more plausible than the others. I just like the name. Limptwig Limbertwig. It's kind of evocative of Eric, you know?
Looks like a StarKing apple or something of that sort. Mexico actually has great apples of which the small to medium StarKing apples. You had any Messican's in them hills?
Posted by: Joan of Argghh! at August 27, 2008 8:22 PMAhhhh, I still recall Dax bringing "apple wine" to the '04 fest. That was some good shit.
Posted by: zonker at August 27, 2008 8:31 PMI would call it "Ralph," or maybe "Maurice."
Posted by: Jim - PRS at August 27, 2008 8:36 PM... the apples look good..... but fuck a "Jack"..... if you are going to make cider, then I would suggest you choose a different name for it........ Jacks, all in all, fucking suck.....
I'd say Pink Lady, 'cept if I recall correctly, that's a recent cross. Got me, man.
Posted by: Randy Rager at August 27, 2008 10:23 PMI'd call it a Northern Spy...that streaked appearance and it being close to harvest time for the variety make me think so even though yours would be early...
Chatham Artillery Cider?
Posted by: Elisson at August 28, 2008 9:18 AMI am pretty sure they are apples
Posted by: hoosierboy at August 28, 2008 1:57 PMEight years is a long time.
Jeebus Vman I will buy your book if you write one.
Limbertwig (aka James River)
excellent for cider making
strain originated in northern Georgia
May be wrong but it looks like it.
Take a photo of the whole tree and put it here. It kind of looks like our Gravenstein apples. They are tart and make good pies. But I like sour apples, so I think they are fine to eat without cooking as well. Ours are just getting ripe about now too.
Now, once upon a time my grandparents had an orchard full of Jonathan apples. Trees all died of some disease many years back. If it turns out that's what you've got ... then please, please, please, please, please send me a couple of apples or some seeds or something. They are virtually extinct. Actual Jonathans have pretty much died out. There are some Jonathan hybrids that are out there, but it is hard if not impossible to get a true Jonathan. How old are your trees?
Posted by: PeggyU at August 28, 2008 4:52 PMHmmm. I'll send you a picture of the Gravenstein.
Posted by: PeggyU at August 28, 2008 4:54 PMLooks like a PIE apple to me
Posted by: GUYK at August 28, 2008 6:54 PMAfter making four pies and eating several dozen of these things, I have finally gotten into the identification spirit.
I'm going with Jonagold.
(A triploid dontchaknow...no wonder the wait was long. :D)
Posted by: Key at August 28, 2008 9:50 PMI'm with Ellison.
Posted by: Maeve at August 29, 2008 1:16 AMIt's an apple, silly. Got a couple of trees in my backyard that produce some that look like that. The kids say use 'em for pies, but I like wine better..haha! And I agree with Eric wholeheartedly.
Posted by: kelly at August 29, 2008 6:23 AMThat be looking like the apple that be grown in my backyard. We call those apples.
Posted by: SisterWhacker at August 29, 2008 2:22 PMUhhh... That'd be an apple.
Posted by: Cappy at August 30, 2008 9:40 AMThat Retard-In-Good-Standing honor has gone to my head. I think I may run for president. Others who are not in good standing have done it. It would sound better on a resume than community organizer, anyhow.
Posted by: PeggyU at August 30, 2008 1:49 PMThis apple above, the Hackworth, we grew them when I was a child. I lived in Blountsville Alabama and these are the apples I grew up with. They were wonderful and smelled heavenly. When I think about my childhood, Hackworth apples aways come to mind. In the late fifties and early sixties we grew them.
Posted by: Clara J at January 13, 2010 3:25 PM