Garden Plant: Gravenstein Apple Tree
Gravenstein Apple Tree
Product Description: Gravenstein Apple Tree
Distinguished, Heirloom Gravenstein Apple
- Light Green with Red Striped Fruit
- Heirloom Apple
- Distinctive Flavor
- Prolonged Picking Season
The Gravenstein Apple originated in Denmark in the early 1600\’s, where it is called a native and is proclaimed as the “National Apple”. This wonderful fruit was so admired that it was brought to the United States with Russian settlers in the early 1800\’s, with orchards being established at Fort Ross, California.
The Gravenstein Apple was immediately recognized as a uniquely superior fruit with its adaptability, many usages and wonderful flavor. The local orchards of Sonoma County California would become the central distribution point for the Gravenstein Apple. Nathaniel Griffith, called the Grandfather of the Gravenstein, was encourage by none other than Luther Burbank to plant, what Burbank considered, a most superior apple.
Firm, snappy, light green with red stripes and a wonderful distinctive flavor. Gravenstein Apple has an excellent tart sweet flavor and is famous for making the finest apple juice and ciders. Gallons of pure pressed Gravenstein Apple Juice are still in high demand today. Wonderful as a dried fruit, in the early 1900\’s no less than 100 driers existed in the Sonoma county of California to satisfy the demand for this wonderful dried fruit.
The Gravenstein is also prized as an excellent apple sauce and is a favorite for cooking and baking. Of course, fresh off the tree is still the finest way to enjoy the Gravenstein apple. Not known for being a good shipper or keeper may be the reason the Gravenstein became an early processing apple variety. But almost 500 years of appreciation must speak to the Gravenstein’s outstanding uniqueness.
It’s widely adapted to many climates and is known to produce in the colder zones 2 to 4. It may, however experience damage in years of early extreme temperature swings in these zones. This may make the “Grav”, as it is known, one of the most widely adapted of all apples. The adaptability extents into the more common apple growing regions of zones 5 – 9, where it is primarily grown by farmers market growers and home gardeners.
The Gravenstein Apple can be an alternate bearer and thinning your fruit to a fist length between each fruit should be an important part of your fruit tree maintenance. Thinning is a requirement with most all fruit but is particularly important with Gravenstein to avoid a shy cropping year.
One of the earliest ripening varieties, the Gravenstein should be included with a mid-season variety, such as a Mcintosh or Empire and a late variety, like the Fuji or Braeburn apples, to ensure pollination and to get a 4 month long harvest of wonderful apple varieties.
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Recommended pollinators: McIntosh, Yellow Transparent, Red Jonathan, Empire, Zestar