Native Hunter Apples 2023

[Bowsnbucks]

We have a couple Priscilla and Sundance trees at camp, and they've been as good as advertised for us. Glad you're having good luck with yours too.
Many of our apples & crabs got hit with late frosts this spring, so apple crop is light. Hoping for a few on the late bloomers.

 

[Native Hunter]

Priscilla is starting to fall. I’m going to pick a bunch tomorrow. I’m starting to get junebugs and I don’t want to spray. They go after the ripest apples.

 

[Native Hunter]

All I want to mess with today.

 

[SwampCat]

All I want to mess with today.
View attachment 54961View attachment 54962

Really envious. What are you going to do with all of them?

 

[Native Hunter]

Really envious. What are you going to do with all of them?

I just got through processing close to 1/3 of those for dehydration. I now have those drying. I took a bunch to my in-laws, and my mil is going to make pies. I picked out the best looking ones and will give those to friends and family for fresh eating.

This morning I took about 6 gallons (before dehydration) to church and shared with my Sunday School class and their children. Next thing on the agenda is to get some to my brother, who shares them with his band.

About Wednesday I will pick again and take a bunch to three of my aunts and an uncle. Right after that Myers Limbertwig is going to start dropping and I will be literally overloaded with apples for weeks. Then I will just start telling everyone to come on over but watch out for the deer poop.

PS - I would like for you to try a Pricilla. It might not work down there without spraying, but I think it has a good chance.

 

[SwampCat]

I just got through processing close to 1/3 of those for dehydration. I now have those drying. I took a bunch to my in-laws, and my mil is going to make pies. I picked out the best looking ones and will give those to friends and family for fresh eating.

This morning I took about 6 gallons (before dehydration) to church and shared with my Sunday School class and their children. Next thing on the agenda is to get some to my brother, who shares them with his band.

About Wednesday I will pick again and take a bunch to three of my aunts and an uncle. Right after that Myers Limbertwig is going to start dropping and I will be literally overloaded with apples for weeks. Then I will just start telling everyone to come on over but watch out for the deer poop.

PS - I would like for you to try a Pricilla. It might not work down there without spraying, but I think it has a good chance.

I am all in. I need three or four new trees. Gonna try a Kerr. Not set on anything else. Do you want to recommend a nursery? PM ok. Thanks!

 

[Native Hunter]

I am all in. I need three or four new trees. Gonna try a Kerr. Not set on anything else. Do you want to recommend a nursery? PM ok. Thanks!

Will do.

 

[Native Hunter]

Today I picked a few more. I’m getting ready to turn my neighbors loose on this tree.

 

[Native Hunter]

Next apple to ripen is Myers Royal Limbertwig. Bulletproof cultivar where I live for no spray. Apples are big and tart. Has the rep of a great cider and cooking apple. Perfect for drying and making chips. Comes from the Great Smokey Mountains.

 

[Native Hunter]

I took another bushel (approx 10 gal) off Priscilla today. Had some relatives asking for more. These are the last two buckets I picked.

 

[greyphase]

I'm in southcentral Pa zone 6B. My Myers Royal doesn't ripen until Mid-Late October and develop a great sweet-tart taste. My favorite fresh eating apple.

 

[Native Hunter]

I'm in southcentral Pa zone 6B. My Myers Royal doesn't ripen until Mid-Late October and develop a great sweet-tart taste. My favorite fresh eating apple. View attachment 55085

Mine have a very long drop period. They will start mid August and go into late September. Here is a pic of my Myer’s taken on September 6, 2020.

 

[Native Hunter]

No, we are not having a Hulk Hogan cage match.

Some of you have been growing Enterprise for a long time. My oldest one that was just ready to start bearing got broken off by the storm last year. This young one had 5 apples this year and the deer have already picked 4 of them off the tree.

I now have this one tightly caged with window screen so I will finally be able to taste one. If I like the taste, I’m planting another one for a home eating apple. I can already see that this cultivar is very disease resistant and easy to grow.

 

[Native Hunter]

This is a tree called King David that I will go ahead and talk about, because we will probably just leave these for the deer. The apples look ripe in the picture, but it will still be a while for them. When ripe, they turn almost black. This tree has good disease resistance and I consider it a good deer apple. It would probably make a good human apple with just a little attention, which I never give. It tends to overbear, so thinning would help for human purposes. it's just a tad on the tart side for my taste.

 

[Bluestone]

No, we are not having a Hulk Hogan cage match.

Some of you have been growing Enterprise for a long time. My oldest one that was just ready to start bearing got broken off by the storm last year. This young one had 5 apples this year and the deer have already picked 4 of them off the tree.

I now have this one tightly caged with window screen so I will finally be able to taste one. If I like the taste, I’m planting another one for a home eating apple. I can already see that this cultivar is very disease resistant and easy to grow.

View attachment 55272

Hope it tastes great. I planted one Enterprise last fall on B9 in my backyard. The leaves are clean as a whistle, and the Japanese beetles steered clear of it as well in favor of Yates and Arkansas Black.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

FWIW -
We have 4 or 5 Enterprise trees at camp - the first two being planted in 2013. No problems with any as far as DR - only late frosts killing blossoms. One of them had 2 leaders about 1 1/4"in diameter, and I pruned one of them off to have a central leader tree. The tree was about 10 to 12 ft. tall at the time, and it was the best move (despite lots of worry!!) I could have made. The tree pushed new growth and evened itself out with new limbs on the "naked" side. Point being ......... once established, they withstand a lot and keep on growing.

I've never tried an Enterprise yet either!!!!! Other members - or crows, coons have beaten me to them. Good luck tasting yours, Native!!!!!

 

[Native Hunter]

I’m 3 to 4 weeks from Liberty being ripe. The one pictured below is still a fairly small tree but already making nice crops. Liberty is a highly disease resistant apple. It has a nice flavor for fresh eating - kind of a blend of sweet and tart. It is one of the best no spray apples.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Beauties. ^ ^ ^

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I'm in southcentral Pa zone 6B. My Myers Royal doesn't ripen until Mid-Late October and develop a great sweet-tart taste. My favorite fresh eating apple.

How is it for DR?? Our camp is in NC Pa. mountains, and I may need to replace a bear-damaged tree. Myers may be a possibility if it'll fit a minimal-care situation.

 

[Native Hunter]

This is a tree called Freedom that is highly touted as a disease resistant apple. My tree is young and just started bearing fruit last year. So far my experience had not been great, but sometimes it takes a few years for a tree to hit its stride. This year I started out with about a dozen apples but most have fallen prematurely. Fruit is very large. I think this cultivar will be good given time. Ask me in a couple of years.


Since I got some good pics of Yates yesterday, I will go ahead and post those. You guys hear me talk about this tree a lot. It is perhaps the best deer apple where I live. It is highly DR, and is generally loaded with small to medium sized, sweet fruit that drops into mid November or later. Very reliable.