Our Favorite 21 Warm-Climate Apple Varieties, November  2011

12/4/2011 Sold out for the 2012 Season unless you previously contacted us this year

We're proud to present our favorites grown last year in Riverside, Southern California (by the Parent Washington Navel Orange Tree for those of you that know the area).  We pick apples from June 15 through January 24th most years.  These apples were not just good- they were mind-blowingly good and hold their own against the best we've tasted in Virginia and New England.  Hot-climate apple growers can hold their head high with pride.

Everyone has their own apple tastes, so a list like this can be quite subjective.  It is not written in stone either, as quality can change as the weather cools or the tree matures.  I hated Anna for the first three years, but now I've come to look forward to it as it is much better now for some reason. 

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Anna- First to blossom, first to ripen, usually about a week or two before school lets out.  It will bear the first year you have it.  For some reason ours were of poor quality for the first couple of years- mealy, astringent, lacking character.  But the last two years, despite very different spring weather, it was good.  Crisp, sweet, with a hint of tartness.  It was the favorite apple of Bambino the Bird Genius who would show up once in a while to mooch handouts.

 

Dorsett Golden- Another true maniac, Dorsett looks for any excuse to fruit, whether it's the first year it was grafted or setting two crops a year.  Bred in the Bahamas, it is well-suited to a hot climate.  In January it explodes in blossoms, but doesn't require quite as much thinning as Anna.  It ripens about a week after Anna, bruises easily but keeps rather well.  The shaded fruit is the best quality.  Chop it up and add it to home-made ice cream, and blended with Anna makes a decent cider in late June.
Cripp's Pink- (AKA Pink Lady™) Even though these are readily available in the supermarket, our home-grown ones are superb.  This sample was shaded and thus poorly-colored, but was still scrumptious anyway.  It has a susceptibility to fireblight and might be difficult to grow in humid areas of the America South.  It laughs at the heat and is suitable for the low desert.
Honeycrisp- Yes, I know this is strange to see, but this apple bred for the brutal winters of Minnesota held up exceptionally to our heat and was as good of quality as any I ever had from our supermarkets.  It was just like you hoped it would be; explosively crisp, candy-sweet, very juicy, and beautiful, almost like this store-bought one in the photo (sorry, we ate all ours before getting a photo).

 

Fuji - Fuji's grown here rival any on the planet.  The secret is our long season which Fuji's need to fully ripen.  You can tell when they're ready when the flesh is decidedly yellow, almost orange.  You'll never want to go back to eating a Pacific Northwest Fuji after eating the real thing.  Note the palm trees in the background.
Hawaii- Starting in early August Hawaii will ripen for several months, still hanging on the tree in November.  It is sweet and delicious even when quite green, and holds on through the worst of heat.  The tree is extremely productive.  The texture was crisp and firm, and had a sweet, tropical taste.
GoldRush-  This is our favorite disease-resistant apple that fakes you out by looking ripe in early October, but hangs on the tree two more months to be ripe for Thanksgiving.  The usual tartness it has in colder climates is not as pronounced, but it still is a great eating apple with a complex taste; I'm liking it more all the time.
Wealthy- It's remarkable this Minnesota native that was bred for the extreme cold does so well here.  The thick, beautiful skin covers a whitish crisp flesh that has a good balance of sweet and tart, with interesting overtones.  Best eaten completely ripe, which might not be until mid-November.
Stump- Despite almost every apple splitting, Stump hung on the tree well and developed into a beautiful, although rather small apple.  It was rather tart until fully ripe, but turned out to have a good rich apple taste that would liven up cider and do well in pies.  We're hoping it grows out of the cracking habit.

Update 9/9/08: this year's crop had none of the splitting and attained good size.  The flavor was wonderfully sweet/tart, giving us the first taste of fall. 

Pristine- A wonderful summer apple, ripening in early August.  Introduced as a disease-resistant apple by PRI.  We have no license and cannot sell it, but I thought it worth mentioning anyway as the folks at PRI have been very kind to us.  It is sweet/tart, crisp, and juicy.  Despite its seemingly pale color it resisted sunburn during our brutally hot weather.
Williams' Pride- Ripening early August, the tree is with deep-red, almost purple apples is striking in appearance.  They color up despite nights in the mid-70s.  The yellow flesh was crisp and spicy.  Wait until the stem end is completely red to pick.
Bramley- The national cooking apple of England, this replaced Zabergau as our favorite cooking apple.  It ripens in our early fall heat but still is crisp, juicy, and refreshing.  It has quite a bit more zing than you're used to from Granny Smith, and also makes a wonderful applesauce.
King David- OK, we finally got the correct ID on this apple we've been calling Arkansas Black; you can't blame me, as it looks an awful lot like it.  But the taste is far superior and it was a standard bearer for Stark Bros. Nurseries for years, who rated it their most productive apple.  It's precocious and reliable for us and ripens late, around Thanksgiving.  Many who taste it rate it tops for flavor.  It grows from Maine to the low desert.

Red Boskoop- This mid-fall apple impressed us with its mix of sweet and tart flavors, combined with a good crunch and lots of juice.  It bore heavily and was not bothered by the summer heat.  Popular for 150 years in Holland, I'm glad to welcome it here where it is good for fresh eating and pies.  

Dixie Red Delight- This Alabama apple colored up two months ago but is just now (Christmas) starting to ripen enough to get your teeth into.  It has all the hallmarks of a good keeper with a tough skin and dense, yellow, sugary, spicy flesh.  It bore well and is a great addition to any orchard. 
Wickson Crabapple- A big taste in an itty-bitty package.  It has a crisp white flesh with a clean, powerful sweet-tart taste.  The tree is prolific and has showy white blossoms.  Purported to make killer cider, but we enjoyed it for fresh eating.  We've tried this in different parts of the country, and ours are by far the best we've tasted.  Outstanding.
Mollie's Delicious- Unrelated to Red Delicious, Mollie's ripens pretty early in the year, but is crisp, sweet, and juicy with good flavor.  It is hard to tell when they are ripe, as the appearance is no indication and if you leave it too long they are mushy.  But at the right time, they are excellent eating with a very pleasing aftertaste.
Nittany- As you probably figured from the name, this apple was developed at Penn State.  But it does well here, ripening mid-January with a cinnamon flavor and nice aroma.  The tree bears heavily and reliably.  
Lady Williams- An extremely late apple, often hanging on the tree until February.   It can be identified by a distinctive white vertical stripe on one side.  Quite tart until fully ripe, fans of hard sour apples will love it.  But if you are very, very patient it is wonderfully sweet/tart when ripe.  It is a offspring of Granny Smith and a parent of Pink Lady.  
Sierra Beauty- An extreme sweet/tart combination and crisp and juicy.  It ripens mid-October in time to compliment Sierra Beauty and the tree is usually loaded.  It was developed in the Sierra Nevada mountains and so is kind of a local; haven't tried it in pies yet (where it is said to hold up well), but great for fresh eating.  
Arkansas Black- I might as well put a photo of King David here, as the two apples are almost undistinguishable on the outside (King David is a little flatter).  But they are two different apples with different tastes.  Known for being rock-hard in colder climates, ours were crisp, flavorful, and excellent right off the tree.  We're sure about the variety this time; it's very good here.   
   
   
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