I have 2 mature apple trees that were on my property when we bought it 7 yrs ago. One I believe is a macintosh and is great but the other is my favourite by far. I have been trying to figure out what it is but can't find anything that even seems close. I don't have any photo's of it but I will try to describe it. The apples start maturing around late Sept but are best in early-mid Oct. They have a dark red (almost burgundy) skin, pure white flesh with lots of bright pink streaks throughout. I use a lot of them for applesauce and when cooked with the skins on they produce a bright pink sauce that is sweeter than any storebought applesauce with added sugar! Last year was the first year I actually had enough fruit to store through the winter and they kept ok for about 8 weeks but did turn pretty soft in that time. I ate the last stored apple in January but I don't think they would have stored much longer than that. I would love to know what this apple is! The tree is not very healthy anymore and I want to replace it before it dies. I am experimenting this year with grafting and plan to graft a scion or 2 onto my macintosh tree. I am also going to graft some scions onto some of the rootstock suckers from the unidentified tree (I have several rootstocks growing that I potted up from suckers last year.) Karin
I usually suggest to bring 6 or more ripe apples to the UBC apple festival in the fall and hope for the best. There may be orchardists in your area that are able to give you a good idea as well.
