"
Bilodeau" is a large crab apple that appeared as a tagging error from a nursery bought tree. An error that turned out to be very beneficial as this apple is of an exceptionnal quality for fresh eating, jelly and cider. I named it
Bilodeau after the name of Claude Bilodeau who grows it in the county of Lotbinière (Quebec) and who gave me grafting wood in 1986.
I have always thought it is possible this is an already named variety, but I have yet to find an identical fruit. It does have some similarities with the Robin Crab and with the Virginia Crab, but isn't identical with either. It ripens about two weeks earlier than Virginia Crab in my orchard.
The tree shows excellent hardiness in zone 4, good vigor, and starts fruiting young. The variety isn't affected by scab in my orchard, but a friend who grows it in New Brunswick has reported some scab susceptibility in his orchard. The fruit is a handsome small apple (or a large crab) that usually sizes to 1-3/4 inch across. The color is a bright yellow covered with a nice red, some years with varying amount of russet (see picture, 2007 unrusseted and russeted in 2008). It is excellent for fresh eating, the flavor has slight acidity, very sweet, with a little astringency. Harvest time is first half of September, and it should be pressed by end of September. It doesn't keep for very long.
As a cider apple, Bilodeau would be classified as a bittersharp, of first choice for early season cider. I started using it in 1996, and since then, the juice obtained has had the following properties (average from 9 samples tested):
- sugar content high, specific gravity 1.065 (min-max: 1.050 - 1.076)
- acidity content high, TA 7.5 g/L malic acid eq. (min-max: 6.2 - 8.9)
- tannin content medium, juice slightly astringent; 3 samples tested: 0.63 to 4.1 g/L gallic acid eq.
- juice yield medium to high
This variety has high value for providing sugar and tannins in early season cider blends. On the years when the acidity is lower, it could be used for a single-variety cider, but in general, it is preferable to blend it with varieties that have a lower acidity content. For example, it blends well with Douce de Charlevoix: Bilodeau bringing the sugar richness while Douce de Charlevoix mellows the acidity and adds its mild bitterness, resulting in a cider with remarquable depth considering its early season. However, as these two varieties have a good tannin content, it might be a good idea to also include some apples with less tannins in the blend, as for example Lobo or Paulared who ripen during the same time frame.
This small apple is remarkable for its high sugar richness combined with reasonable acidity (for a crab). It has good potential as a bittersharp cider apple of Quebec origin and hardy in harsh climatic areas (zone 4). Additional trials should be performed to evaluate its performance in production orchards before any large scale planting may be recommanded.
