What kind of apple is this? - Ask Extension
Hi,
We just moved to the Iron Range from Iowa last April and I have two mature apple trees in our yard. Last year, one had pink blossoms in the spr...
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What kind of apple is this? #806449
Asked August 15, 2022, 7:35 PM EDT
Hi,
We just moved to the Iron Range from Iowa last April and I have two mature apple trees in our yard. Last year, one had pink blossoms in the spring, produced small, deep red fruit and is definitely a crab apple. The other tree had white blossoms and didn't bear any fruit, but a neighbor said he thought it was a crab apple and that deer would eat the fruit. That same tree this year is full of small green apples that are beginning to have some red coloring and are roughly the size of a golf ball, maybe a bit smaller. They don't have the bitter taste of a crab apple and really just taste like a sour apple. Is it possible that I have an eating apple ... hopefully? I've attached some pics of the tree and a green apple I picked today. What do you think?
St. Louis County Minnesota
Expert Response
A few years ago Dr Jim Luby, U of MN faculty wrote the following
"We cannot positively identify a cultivar visually though we can sometimes make a guess. The history of the plant is very important and unfortunately, people often don't know it. However, you can read about the plant - especially if they know it's a University release - and narrow down your fruit ID to 2-3 cultivars based on size, color, fruiting time. etc. Here are some resources to help:
https://mnhardy.umn.edu/sites/mnhardy.umn.edu/files/402862_minnhardy_-_web.pdf
https://mnhardy.umn.edu/varieties/fruit/apples/all-apple-varieties
Also, there is a nice discussion about identifying apple varieties. Though it is written about English varieties, all the principles are
universal. http://www.suttonelms.org.uk/apple55.html
If you want to pursue more conclusive testing, UC-Davis will accept samples for DNA fingerprinting. Cost is $345 per sample. http://fpms.ucdavis.edu/IDTesting.htm" The main difference between an apple and a crabapple is the size of the fruit. A crab apple tree produces fruit that are 2 inches or less in diameter. An apple tree produces fruit that are larger than 2 inches in diameter.Crab apples can be used for jellies and preserves.
https://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/yard-and-garden-identify-and-enjoy-crabapples
"We cannot positively identify a cultivar visually though we can sometimes make a guess. The history of the plant is very important and unfortunately, people often don't know it. However, you can read about the plant - especially if they know it's a University release - and narrow down your fruit ID to 2-3 cultivars based on size, color, fruiting time. etc. Here are some resources to help:
https://mnhardy.umn.edu/sites/mnhardy.umn.edu/files/402862_minnhardy_-_web.pdf
https://mnhardy.umn.edu/varieties/fruit/apples/all-apple-varieties
Also, there is a nice discussion about identifying apple varieties. Though it is written about English varieties, all the principles are
universal. http://www.suttonelms.org.uk/apple55.html
If you want to pursue more conclusive testing, UC-Davis will accept samples for DNA fingerprinting. Cost is $345 per sample. http://fpms.ucdavis.edu/IDTesting.htm" The main difference between an apple and a crabapple is the size of the fruit. A crab apple tree produces fruit that are 2 inches or less in diameter. An apple tree produces fruit that are larger than 2 inches in diameter.Crab apples can be used for jellies and preserves.
https://www.extension.iastate.edu/news/yard-and-garden-identify-and-enjoy-crabapples
Wow, thank you for all this info and your quick response. The fruit isn't quite 2 inches yet, but as I said, it doesn't taste anything like a bittler crab apple. I don't think it's fully developed because the seeds are white and pretty soft. I actually picked a dozen a few days ago, quartered and peeled them, which was a hassle because they're so small, and cooked them down with some sugar and cinnamon. It tasted great and I ended up making an apple almond cake using some sourdough discard. It'll be interesting to see how they develop in the next month or so and I plan to harvest them for baking lots of things!
