Bought a house with apple trees, trying to decide if they are worth making cider/cyser from

[Beernik]

I bought a house last summer with a lot of fruit trees. The house was vacant when it was time for spraying trees, so I didn’t even try do anything with them last year.

The apple varieties I have are: northpole colunade (McIntosh variety), Gala, Honeycrisp, Gala, Liberty, and McIntosh.

I’m trying to decide if they are worth trying to make an apple cider, cyser, or apple wine from.

Living in western Washington, I can get my hands on some other apple varieties to supplement them to make a more complex flavor. I also have Asian pears, grapes (maybe concord), black currants, peaches, sugar plumbs and sweetheart cherries I need to figure out something to do with.

 

[mashpaddled]

You need apples that are bitter and/or tart to make cider which none of those are. You can adjust by blending with cider apples or blend the pressed juice with tannins and acid.

 

[Beernik]

I figured that might be the case and I’m looking at gallons of apple butter & apple sauce unless I can find something else to do with them.

Looking at a local orchard, I can pick these sharp varieties: Ashmead’s Kernek, Gravenstein, Mott Pink, and Zabergau Reinette for $1.25/lb. I’m not certain they have any bittersweet varieties.

 

[madscientist451]

Looking at a local orchard, I can pick these sharp varieties: Ashmead’s Kernek, Gravenstein, Mott Pink, and Zabergau Reinette for $1.25/lb. I’m not certain they have any bittersweet varieties.

I just tasted a 100% Ashnead's Kernal cider I made last fall, it came out pretty good.
When making cider with "eating apples" I try to get at least 10 different varieties.
With the trees at your house, I'd eat and give away as gifts the nicest ones and make cider from the rest. Check with your local orchards for bushels of seconds, (about $7-8) around here). To your varieties I'd add some Jonathan or Jonagold, Yellow Delicious, and whatever else interesting you can find. You can add in the Asian Pear or make a separate pear cider. Check your neighbor's yards for apples they don't want and look on criagslist/facebook as well.
You'll need a grinder and a press of some kind.
Picking apples for $1.25/lb for cider is going to be somewhat pricey. I only get 2-2.5 gallons/bushel and and a bushel is 40-50 lbs.

 

[NitrogenWidget]

idk, i make hard cider out of $1.20 half gallons of apple juice from aldi then back sweeten with frozen concentrate.
people love it.
who knows what apples they use.

I agree with madscientist.
do a heinze 57 hard cider.
what do you have to lose?

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

While some prefer cider apples, it doesn’t mean other apples cannot be used, though those honey crisp are sweet enough to make apple sauce without added sugar, might be a waste to use them for cider, and galas are right with them in my opinion.

 

[Beernik]

Thanks everyone.

I don’t know how much fruit I’m going to get. They are all semi-dwarf or dwarf and have been kept really small.

I’ll be surprised if I get a bushel per tree. I was thinking I’d make some apple jelly, butter, dehydrate some chips, and then cider the rest with some orchard apples to round out 5 to 10 gallons of cider depending on how much is left. I’m not a fan of apple sauce but my wife occasionally cooks with it as a sugar substitute. I could can some for her with the gala & honeycrisp.

They also have Jonagold.

I dug around their website some more managed to find their cider apple page (it’s like something out of the late 90s). They list: Kingston Black, Harry Masters, Ashmedes Kernel, Kermerien, Zabergau Reinette, Frequin Rouge, Bramleys Seedling, Brown Snout, Dabinette, Finkenwerder Herbzprinze, Moulton's Pride Crab.

 

[gregbathurst]

You can make decent cider out of pretty much any apples. The main thing for cider is to leave the apples on the tree as long as possible, that way they ripen longer and you get more flavour. You should get the jolicoeur cider book. Also check out your area for crabapple trees, some crabs in the cider adds some tannins and flavour.

 

[jseyfert3]

I don’t know how much fruit I’m going to get. They are all semi-dwarf or dwarf and have been kept really small.

How small is small? According to Stark Bros, a dwarf tree matures about 8-10' high and wide, and semi-dwarf is 12-15' high and wide. They estimate fruit yield at 1-4 bushels for a dwarf tree and 5-10 bushels for a semi-dwarf.

Obviously this varies, but is a general rough estimate. Almost certainly assumes proper yearly pruning.

Keep in mind I've only planted apple trees for the first time this year, so I don't have personal experience. But this is my third year planting trees (tried pear and/or peach two other times then moved before we got fruit), so I've read about trees quite a bit at least.

Also if you're going to be there a while, keep in mind you can buy apple trees bare root for about $25-$35/each, shipped to your door. They will take about 2-5 years to start producing fruit though, with up to 10 years before they reach full production. But you could order whatever type of cider trees you desired.

 

[Chalkyt]

For what it is worth, I have a similar situation with inherited trees. I did plant a Cox's Orange Pippin a few years ago and this year have a usable crop to add to the others.

Most of my apples are eating types... Red Delicious, a couple that we think are Pippins, Granny Smith and Ballerina. My most successful ciders have had up to 20% crab apples added to the "eating apples" so it seems that this is a good way to "improve" what you have.

Part of the fun is the process of picking, grinding, juicing, fermenting etc with the assistance of last year's cider!

 

[Beernik]

The trees have been kept small. This is the McIntosh if full bloom a couple weeks back. It’s fairly typical of all the trees for height and fullness. Height for most are 5 - 8 foot.

The McIntosh is probably 5-6 foot tall. The fence rail is about 3 foot high.

I don’t have a whole lot of experience taking care of fruit trees. I was traumatized by my parents & grandparents giant cherry trees and swore I’d never plant fruit trees in my own yard.

 

[NitrogenWidget]

The trees have been kept small. This is the McIntosh if full bloom a couple weeks back. It’s fairly typical of all the trees for height and fullness. Height for most are 5 - 8 foot.

The McIntosh is probably 5-6 foot tall. The fence rail is about 3 foot high.

I don’t have a whole lot of experience taking care of fruit trees. I was traumatized by my parents & grandparents giant cherry trees and swore I’d never plant fruit trees in my own yard.

Chop them down and use them for your smoker?

 

[Beernik]

≈95% vegan. I can’t even remember the last time I ate meat. Maybe a Ruben in December.

 

[madscientist451]

The trees have been kept small. This is the McIntosh if full bloom a couple weeks back.

That's an awesome display from a small tree. Each one of those flowers has the potential to produce an apple. Check with your local farm store about sprays to use in your area. You need to have a spray program for your trees or you'll have problems for sure. When it looks like there are small apples forming, knock some off so you have fruit at least 4-5" apart on the limb, too much fruit can break the branches and the fruit will be small. Watch you tube videos about how to keep the trees pruned. That tree looks like it was very well taken care of.

 

[Beernik]

Thanks.

Yeah, the house was vacant & being remodeled last spring and the trees were never sprayed and all the fruit was buggy. I let a neighbor pick them clean for his horses.

This year, I’m Trying to follow WSU’s webpage as a guide for spraying. I got one spray pre-bloom and I’ll probably hit them with an Esfenvalerate after the petals fall.

http://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/t...TED_SPRAY_SCHEDULE_FOR_HOME_GARDEN_APPLES.pdf

 

[Jayjay1976]

I'm not a cider guy but while up in Michigan at a winery last summer I got to talking cider with one of the wine makers and he mentioned the Northern Spy variety makes excellent ciders. Offered to let me pick all I wanted from their orchard when they were ready later in the fall but I couldn't get away from work to get back up there. I've never heard of them anywhere other than that so I dunno if they grow where you're at. Or if they're actually any good for cider

 

[rickbuddy]

You have the makings of a very good domestic hard cider. Gala for your base, Mac for sharp, Liberty for tannins.

A great place to start. Many commercial cideries here in Michigan are using these apples.

Take a cruise around the net to find out more. Here are a couple of links to start:

https://brixcider.com/macintosh-apple-cider-evaluation

http://www.cias.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/applestoapplesprofilesweb111819.pdf

As for pest and disease control after petal fall, I was dumbfounded by the efficacy of Bonide Fruit Tree and Plant Guard -- the one containing Lambda-cyhalothrin, Pyraclostrobin, and Boscalid. It was recommended by a local orchardist. PLUM CUCURLIO FREE! Excellent overall control with 3 treatments from petal fall to pre-harvest.

Rick

 

[wasully]

Chop them down and use them for your smoker?

Nah, just graft them over to what you want. Especially ones as small as pictured.

They also have Jonagold.

I dug around their website some more managed to find their cider apple page (it’s like something out of the late 90s). They list: Kingston Black, Harry Masters, Ashmedes Kernel, Kermerien, Zabergau Reinette, Frequin Rouge, Bramleys Seedling, Brown Snout, Dabinette, Finkenwerder Herbzprinze, Moulton's Pride Crab.

Jonagold is supposed to be good cider too.

What site are you talking about? I'm a little west of you and having a hard time finding cider apples.

 

[Beernik]

I haven’t updated my profile. I’m on Camano now.

I’ve been looking at Jones Creek Farms (Skagit Fruit Valley). They are in Sedro Woolley.
http://skagitvalleyfruit.com/apples.html. I may put the dog in the car and take a drive up there this weekend just to get out of the house.

Also, while cleaning my garage yesterday, I found a jonagold tag. So, maybe I have an unmarked graft out there.

 

[Beernik]

I haven’t gone inside my apple tree area for a couple weeks so I’ll need to double check, but I think this is my pear tree. I’ll be getting in there today to put down a round of bug spray.

How much should I thin this down and when should I start?

 

[Les-JCF]

Nah, just graft them over to what you want. Especially ones as small as pictured.



Jonagold is supposed to be good cider too.

What site are you talking about? I'm a little west of you and having a hard time finding cider apples.

Hi Beernik, i stubled accross your old post here as i was out looking for a few of my missing cider apple customers. Just wanted to let you know we will have a nice crop of hard cider varieties this year.

Also, did you get your cherry thinned? although i have seen a LOT heavier crop load than that so dont feel too bad, yours actually looks about right.

Les
jones creek farms

 

[AzOr]

^Nice.
You can also check Craigslist late summer or early fall. There’s lots of hobby orchards in the NW where you can find cider apples. I had no problems finding Porters Perfection, Chisel Jersey, Brown Snouts and others. Most of these were purchased for less than $.60/lb (u-pick).

Most of your apples would fall into the sharp category, so you could supplement with 20-40% bitter varieties and have an excellent cider.

 

[Beernik]

Hi Beernik, i stubled accross your old post here as i was out looking for a few of my missing cider apple customers. Just wanted to let you know we will have a nice crop of hard cider varieties this year.

Also, did you get your cherry thinned? although i have seen a LOT heavier crop load than that so dont feel too bad, yours actually looks about right.

Les
jones creek farms

Les,

It’s not too old a post. It’s this season.

I keep meaning to get up to Sedro to check out your orchard, but it keeps slipping.

Most everything is coming along well. My grapes never flowered for some reason and I think one of my apples is dormant this season.

I’m going to thin everything this weekend (especially anything that looks stung) and put down a second application of Monterey II Sunday or Wednesday depending on the weather.