Overview: Bob Connor in Deer Harbor on Orcas
Bob's farm is a lovely old Indian homestead, full of old apples, pears, plums, and English hawthorne. A second (or third) generation of seedlings have grown up. Madrona and Julie wandered through the fruit trees (with permission!) sampling them and photographing the more promising ones. We numbered our finds from 1 - 15 with a few extras. Photos were taken October 12, 2011.
Terminology
calyx - the browned remnants of the sepals at the apex of an apple, opposite the stem.
CBH - circumference of trunk at breast height
crown - the five lumps around the calyx of an apple.
lenticel - breathing pores on an apple's skin that look like small dots.
netting - patchy russeting
oxidize - cut fruit turns brown from reaction with oxygen.
ribbing - ridges running from calyx to stem. In a cross-section, ribs would make the apple look wavy.
russeting - brownish leathery skin, sometimes associated with a nutty taste.
scab - a fungus that gives a fruit black spots. Apple and pear scab are related but not the same.
scarf - roughened skin
watercore - environmentally caused condition where pulp appears glassy. Fermentation can occur in these water-filled areas, giving a sweet but off-taste.
CBH - circumference of trunk at breast height
crown - the five lumps around the calyx of an apple.
lenticel - breathing pores on an apple's skin that look like small dots.
netting - patchy russeting
oxidize - cut fruit turns brown from reaction with oxygen.
ribbing - ridges running from calyx to stem. In a cross-section, ribs would make the apple look wavy.
russeting - brownish leathery skin, sometimes associated with a nutty taste.
scab - a fungus that gives a fruit black spots. Apple and pear scab are related but not the same.
scarf - roughened skin
watercore - environmentally caused condition where pulp appears glassy. Fermentation can occur in these water-filled areas, giving a sweet but off-taste.
#1 Standard Pear
This old tree, probably planted, sat amongst smaller seedlings. The trunk was large, CBH = 203 cm, and pocked with sapsucker holes. The fruit was peariform, with a few instances of scab. Green, slight russeting (netting), slight pink blush. Pear measures 7 cm across, 9 cm stem to calyx. They were still unripe, with seeds that had not yet turned dark brown.
#1.5 Red-purple Plum
Green leaves, red-purple skin, orange flesh. This tree grew under the pear, and so was probably a seedling. It tasted sour (see illustration).
#2 Red Apple
Located at N48 37.850, W-123 00.255. This tree was not grafted. CBH + 66 cm. Apple red, round conical, had white lenticles with no areolas, a pronounced crown, scarf at the calyx, short stem. Seeds brown. Apple measured 8 cm across, 4.5 cm stem to calyx. Green background with dark red coloring predominating.
#3 Red Crabapple
Location: N48 37.867 W-123 00.267. This tree was not grafted, likely a seedling. CBH = 29 cm. Apple red, small, oblong, slightly crowned, with small warts (they have an official name) at the crown, long thin stem. White lenticels, no russeting. Crisp, pale yellow flesh, thin skin, slow to oxidize. Seeds brown, indicating ripeness. Apple measured 2.5 cm across, 3 cm stem to calyx. Juicy, very tart, crisp, a bit of sweetness. Probably an excellent jelly apple. It's incredibly cute.
#4 Gravenstein-type Apple
Located at N48 37.860 W-123 00.277. Standard tree, very tall, part of orchard planting, 2 main trunks, lots of sapsucker holes. CBH 161 cm. Fruit yellow with mottled red stripes, stem short and fat. One of the two apples had a bulb on the stem. Apple round-conical, crowned, ribbed. Apple measured 7 cm across, 5 cm from stem to calyx. When cut, the star shaped cavities were sometimes imperfectly developed and had four rather than five points. Tastes like a Gravenstein, sweet, soft, juicy with chewy skin.
#5 Gravenstein-type Apple
Location N48 37.860 W-123 00.282. Standard tree, umbrella shaped, part of orchard planting, somewhat shorter than tree #4. CBH - 64 cm. Fruits round-conical, greenish yellow with mottled red stripes, possibly the same variety as #4. Apple measured 8 cm across, 5.5 cm stem to calyx. Seeds not entirely browned up/ripe.
#6 Apple
Not the same as #4 or 5. Location N48 37.861 W-123 00.286. Standard tree, umbrella shaped, part of orchard planting. Water from a shallow but very wide (in winter) creek ran over its roots, probably all winter. CBH - 105 cm. Fruits round-conical, greenish yellow background (greener than #5) with mottled red stripes nearer calyx. Russetting and netting near stem, stem short and thick, small white lenticles. Apple measured 7.5 cm across, 5 cm stem to calyx. Seeds brown. Quicker to oxidize than #5. Doesn't taste ripe, but juicy, astringent.
#7 Gravenstein-type Apple
Location N48 37.853 W-123 00.277. Standard tree, part of orchard planting. CBH - 186 cm. Fruits round-conical, yellow with mottled red stripes from calyx to stem. Small green lenticles. Slight russeting near stem, stem short and fat (one of them had a bulb), shallow ribbing. Apple measured 8 cm across, 6 cm stem to calyx. Seeds brown. Fuzzy white in seed cavity. One apple had watercore, both had bird pecks. This was a very tasty apple, and we recommend taking grafting scions from it. A full sweet flavor, crisp flesh, thin tough skin, no astringency. Probably not the same as #'s 4 - 5.
#8 Red Plum
Location N48 37.875 W-123 00. Seedling tree, CBH - 25 cm (largest of 7 trunks at BH). Small, red skin, orange flesh, white lenticles, clinging seed. Taste sweet but not too sweet, slight mealiness, firm, pleasant texture. We recommend grafting from this seedling.
#9 Gravenstein-type Apple
Location N48 37.849 W-123 00.280. Standard tree, part of orchard planting. CBH - 136 cm. Fruits round, background pale yellow with mottled red stripes from calyx to stem. Small green lenticles on the yellow parts, white lenticles on the red parts. Stem short and fat (one of them had a bulb), shallow ribbing, irregular crown. Apple measured 8 cm across, 5 cm stem to calyx. Seeds brown. Both had watercore. Oxidation slow. Taste slightly astringent, sweet, not that strong. Like a Gravenstein, but not exceptionally great.
#10 Quince
Location N48 37.843 W-123 00.294. A bush overgrown with blackberry vines. Fruits oblong and lumpy, waisted, crowned, large leafy calyx. Yellow-green with russeting at stem and orange-brown fuzz in the hollows of the lumps. Small green lenticles. Quince measured 5.5 cm across, 8 cm stem to calyx. Seeds still white. Quick to oxidize. We recommend taking scions from this lovely, funky bush.
#11 Apple
Location N48 37.855 W-123 00.302. CBH - 86 cm. Fruits round, background yellowish-green, russeting near stem, red-pink blush, red stripes, white areoled lenticles. Small green lenticles. Stem short (appx 1.2 cm), calyx area puckered rather than crowned, ribbed, with a hairline going from calyx to stem. Apple measured 7 cm across, 4.5 cm stem to calyx. Seeds beginning to brown. Flesh white, oxidizes quickly. Tastes like a Granny Smith - astringent, rubbery, tough skin, pulpy, juicy. Might cook well.
#12 Green Apple
Location N48 37.854 W-123 00.313. Standard tree, part of orchard planting. CBH - 90.5 cm. Fruits round, background green with yellow blush, netting. Small white lenticles with small green areoles. Stem short, scarf skin around calyx, crowned, faint ribbing. One of the two has a faint hairline from stem to calyx. Seeds brown. Oxidation moderate. A wide core star. You can see the cells in the pulp. Taste sweet, thin tough skin, sweeter than but similar to a Granny Smith, not astringent, tastes like a good cooking apple.
#13 Sweet 16-type Apple
Location N48 37.903 W-123 00.235. Semi-dwarf seedling. CBH - 28 cm. Fruits round, background yellow with red stripes, purple blush, russeting in cavity. Apple measured 6.5 cm across and 4 cm stem to calyx. Stem long and thinnish, slightly crowned. Seeds brown. A tight core star. Flesh yellow-white. Taste sweet, skin chewy, little bit tart but not astringent. We were going to skip this tree but the taste stopped us. Mmmm.
#14 Scabby Pear
Madrona took scions from this tree last season.
#15 Apple
Location N48 37.903 W-123 00.235. Seedling. CBH of largest trunk - 28 cm. Fruits round, background green with orange blush, some scab. Small green lenticles. Stem squat, faintly crowned, faint netting, faint ribs near apex, scarf skin at calyx. Seeds pale brown at tip, still whitish at base. Core star has longish arms. Faint fragrance, possibly because it's still not ripe. Taste crisp, juicy sweet, tough skin.