Yellow Delicious apples beginning to ripen!
The apples to be picked this week are an early variety from Stark’s Brothers’ Nursery in Louisiana, Missouri, dating from the late 1920’s. Our orchard had a nursery in Wenatchee, Washington take scions from the few surviving trees in the old part of our orchard and bud grafted this variety for us in the early 1980’s. It is considered a “golden” delicious and not a yellow but in today’s marketing arena it is better to call it Yellow Delicious. It characteristically has the russeting appearance and freckles. Sometimes in drier seasons, we do control some of the russeting but this year it reverted to its genetics and has an appearance somewhat different to what the average consumer is accustomed to seeing.
Most of our customers are familiar with the “smoothie” yellow apple. Our variety is seldom found in today’s orchards. In fact, I have an Amish customer that travels quite some distance to get his “Goldens.” Really, it should be considered an “heirloom” apple. Starks’ Brothers was the only nursery growing and marketing this apple in the late 1920’s.
This apple has many uses and is considered a favorite for many. It is an excellent eating apple with a sweet flavor and nice crunch. Can be used for cooking but apple will not cook up, but does cook tender. Good to eat fresh and often used for fried apples.