General comments on 08/25/2009 apple harvest: all apples harvested at UMass Cold Spring Orchard, Belchertown, MA, unless otherwise noted. Ginger Gold is ready to go and should be harvested in earnest. Quality and flavor are very good. Silken was harvested because signficant pre-harvest drop was noted. It is not as good as it could be right now, but should be harvested within the week. Lindamac is a highly red coloring McIntosh strain. It is a little early, but harvest of these could begin anytime, and should be done next week. Harvest appears to be a few days ahead of last year which was average.
| Cultivar | date | pre-harvest drop | fruit diameter inches | color % red | firmness lbs | soluble solids | starch index | comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ginger Gold (Harvard, MA) | 8/25/2009 | none | 3.1 | 0 | 20.7 | 10.7 | 2 | very juicy, just about right, this is a nice apple; does not starch test well |
| Ginger Gold | 8/25/2009 | nil | 3.3 | 5 | 18 | 12 | 3 (2-6) | one fruit was bad ; hint of watercore, these are on the downhill slide but very good right now; should be picking ASAP |
| Silken | 8/25/2009 | significant | 2.9 | 0 | 16.8 | 11.1 | 3.9 (2-5) | significant fruit drop or push-off; ready for a first pick, definitely by next week |
| Lindamac | 8/25/2009 | nil | 3.1 | 80 | 16.4 | 11.7 | 3.9 (3-4.5) | red color is there, although it is too early be picking Macs; but if I had to pick one now, this would be it; have been very productive trees on M.9, I like them |