Apple Maturity Report
Submitted by Jon Clements jon.clements@umass.edu
All maturity results from UMass Cold Spring Orchard unless otherwise noted
| date | variety | drop | diameter (inches) | % red color | firmness (lbs.) | brix | starch index | comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/24 | Rogers McIntosh | some | 3.3 | 70 | 12.9 | 11.9 | 6.5 (6-7) | last chance this week to pick non-ReTain treated Macs |
| 9/24 | Macoun | some | 3.35 | 70 | 14.5 | 11 | 3.9 (3-4) | Macoun is just maturing with some varietal flavor developing |
| 9/24 | Empire | nil | 3.0 | 70 | 17 | 11 | 4.5 (3-5.5) | Empire is just ready for 1st pick |
| 9/24 | Liberty | nil | 2.95 | 95 | 20 | 12.1 | 3.5, mostly 3 | Liberty will be ready to pick at the earliest later this week |
| 9/24 | Delicious | nil | 3.0 | 95 | 17.4 | 10.8 | 2.5 (2-3.5) | Delicious needs another week to pick |
| 9/24 | Morning Mist Fuji | none | 3.2 | 90 | 14.7 | 13.5 | 5.5 (4-7) | newer, earlier, high color Fuji strain -- very nice |
| 9/24 | Golden Delicious (Gibson) | none | 2.9 | NA | 16.2 | 12 | 4.5 (4-5) | need another week before picking |
| 9/24 | Rubinstar Jonagold | nil | 3.4 | 65 | 16.1 | 12.8 | 5.5 (4-7) | jus barely ready to pick, could use another week for sugar to develop |
| date | variety | drop |
diameter (inches) |
% red color | Firmness (lbs.) |
brix | starch index |
comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/16 | Honeycrisp | few | 3.4 | 85 | 14.7 | 12.4 | 6 (5-7) | at their peak, finish picking this week |
| 9/16 | Redcort Cortland | none | 3.4 | 80 | 14.8 | 9.9 | 2 | not at their best yet; may have been treated with ReTain; hold off harvest for a week if you can |
| 9/14 | Cherry Gala | none | 2.9 | 95 | 17 | 12.8 | 5.6 (4-8) | a new Gala strain from Brandt's; at their peak, ready to pick |
| 9/16 | Buckeye Gala | none | 2.85 | 95 | 18.5 | 10.5 | 5 (3-8) | mostly ready to harvest; small size, over-cropped trees = low sugar |
| 9/14 | SnappyMac McIntosh | some | 3.0 | 80 | 16 | 12.7 | 5 (4-6) | at peak, excellent red color; this is a nice Mac strain from Stark Bros. |
| 9/16 | Lindamac McIntosh | few | 3.0 | 90 | 14.6 | 11.5 | 4.5 (3.5-6) | ready to harvest (one pick) |
| date | variety | drop | diameter (inches) |
% red Color | Firmness (lbs.) |
Brix | Starch Index |
Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/5 | Honeycrisp (Northboro, MA) |
nil | 3.4 | 60 | 15.7 | 12.7 | 5.5 (4-7) |
ready for 1st pick, good sugar |
| 9/5 | Honeycrisp (Harvard, MA) |
nil | 3.2 | 55 | 14.7 | 11.3 | 6 (4-8) |
very close to ready for 1st pick |
| 9/5 | Honeycrisp (Stow, MA) |
nil | 3.2 | 45 | 16.8 | 10.9 | 5 (3.5-7) |
most likely treated with ReTain? |
| 9/9 | Snappy Mac | few | 3.0 | 75 | 17 | 11.4 | 4.1 (4-5) |
seeds dark; right on track for 1st pick as predicted; nice red color on these Snappy Mac |
| 9/10 | Lindamac | some | 3.0 | 80 | 15.7 | 11.6 | 4 (3-5) |
Lindamac is a high red color strain, similar to a good color Redmax, but earlier coloring |
| 9/9 | Buckeye Gala | nil | 2.8 | 95 | 20 | 9.9 | 2.8 (1-4) |
marginally ready for 1st pick based on background color change (which is hard to discern on these red Gala); sugar not there, but heavy crop load likely has adverse effect on sugar development |
| 9/10 | Honeycrisp | few | 3.1 | 60 | 15.7 | 11.4 | 6 (4-8) |
note the higher starch index on these Honeycrisp from over-cropped Bud.9 trees, compared to B.118 below; probably never had much starch to begin with, and will not develop enough sugar for optimum varietal flavor |
| 9/9 | Honeycrisp | few | 3.4 | 65 | 14.7 | 11.2 | 4.6 (3-6.5) |
sugars not fully developed, but needs a 1st pick, ripe fruit starting to drop; nice fruit gronw on Bud.118 |
| 9/10 | Blondee® | none | 3.0 | 5 | 18 | 11.6 | 4.5 (3-7) |
Blondee® is a fine yellow apple in this season, it's like a yellow Gala |
| 9/10 | RiverBelle® (DS-22 cv.) |
nil | 3.6 | 70 | 16.8 | 13.9 | 5.5 (3-7) |
RiverBelle® is a new, regional apple variety being planted in MN and WI; it is a very large, sweet apple designed for the regional market, but available to anyone who wants to plant; it most likely has a Honeycrisp parent; very large fruit, some russet/fruit finish issues |
| date | variety | drop | Diameter (inches) |
% red color | Firmness (lbs) |
brix | starch index | comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9/2 | Lindamac | nil | 3.0 | 65 | 17 | 10.9 | 3.5 (3-4) | seeds still white; not ready to pick |
| 9/2 | Silken | few | 2.8 | yellow-green | 17 | 11.5 | 4 (3-6) | eats OK, variable maturity, could use another 5-7 days |
| 9/2 | Buckeye Gala | none | 2.8 | 95 | 20 | 9.3 | 2 (1-3) | seeds dark, needs another week to develop sugar despite some background color change green to yellow |
| 9/2 | Honeycrisp | few | 3.1 | 55 | 18 | 12.3 | 5 (4-7) | further along than expected, some background color change, ready for 1st pick this week! |
| Date | Variety | Drop | diameter (inches) |
% red color | Firmness (lbs) |
brix | Starch Index |
comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8/27 | Gingergold | very few | 3.2 | NA | 18 | 11.3 | 3-4 | being harvested, very good quality |
| 8/27 | Sansa | - | - | - | - | - | - | already harvested |
| 8/27 | Akane | nil | 3.0 | 90 | 18 | 12.9 | 6.5 (6-7) | should be harvested ASAP |
| 8/27 | Rubymac | very few | 2.9 | 95 | 17 | 10.6 | 3.5 (3-4) | GREEN AS GRASS! |
| 8/27 | Paulared | - | - | - | - | - | - | already harvested |
| 8/27 | Dandee Red | many | 3.3 | 95-100 | 16 | 12.5 | 4 (3-6) | drop prone, shouldbe picked and sold as Mac-like apple right now; superior to Paulred? |
| 8/27 | Zestar! | very few | 3.3 | 65 | 14 | 11.7 | 5 (4-6) | going to be past it's prime soon, should be picked ASAP |
| 8/27 | Honeycrisp | nil | 3.1 | 45 | 20 | 11.4 | 2 (1-4) | GREEN AS GRASS! |
