Whether crunchy or soft to the bite, sweet or sour, juicy or not so juicy - apples have always inspired people with their taste, their good storage properties and their variety. But which are the best dessert apples?
Which dessert apple varieties are recommended?
Popular dessert apple varieties are Elstar, Boskoop, Topaz and Klarapfel. Elstar impresses with its sweet and sour taste and juiciness, Boskoop is sweet and sour and stores well, Topaz is delicately sour and has a long shelf life, and clear apple offers a refreshing sour taste.
Summer ripening dessert apples
The best-known dessert apples that ripen in summer are clear apples and piros. The clear apple is ready to eat immediately after harvest (end of July to beginning of August). It cannot be stored for long. On the one hand it becomes mealy and on the other hand it quickly begins to rot. It tastes sour and refreshing and is light green to yellowish green in color.
The Piros is ready to harvest at the beginning of August. It is also ready to enjoy straight away. Its aroma is stronger than that of the clear apple. It is also characterized by its high resistance to scab and mildew.
Target apples ripening in early fall
| Harvest time | Ready for enjoyment | Taste | Special features | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elstar | Mid-September | from October | sweetsour | very juicy |
| Retina | Mid-September | immediately until mid-October | sweet and sour, aromatic | fine-celled, scab-resistant, robust |
| James Grieve | Early September | immediately | slightly aromatic | less susceptible to illness |
| Alkmene | End of September | Mid to late November | sweet, fruity | good pollen donor, hardly susceptible to disease |
Table apples for the winter time
| Harvest time | Ready for enjoyment | Taste | Special features | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rewena | Early to mid October | from November | sour-sweet, aromatic | less susceptible to illness |
| Boskoop | Mid-October | from December | sweetsour | storable, popular |
| Topaz | End of September to mid-October | from November | finely sour, aromatic | crunchy, can be stored for a long time, less susceptible to disease |
| Ontario | End of October | from January | finely aromatic | very juicy |
| Pilot | Mid-October | from December | strongly sweet and sour, aromatic | less susceptible to illness |
Old apple varieties – dessert apples
| Origin | Growth | Appearance | Taste | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bodil Nergaard | Denmark | weak | green-red, high-rise | sweet and sour, distinctive aroma |
| Blood-red Gravensteiner | Denmark | strong | dark red | very aromatic |
| Bismarck apple | New Zealand (around 1870) | strong | red | sweetsour |
| Banana Reinette | unknown | strong | yellow-red, round | banana-like |
| Danziger Kantapfel | Germany (around 1800) | medium strong | dark red | sweetsour |
| Flamed Cardinal | unknown (16th century) | medium strong | red striped | sour, refreshing |
| London Pepping | England (around 1600) | medium strong | ripped | soursweet |
| Purple Cousinot | Germany (around 1600) | medium strong | dark red, small | sweetsour |
Tip
Not much can go wrong with the Elstar, Boskoop, Topaz and Klarapfel varieties. They are the most popular and suitable for cultivation even by amateur gardeners.
