General comments on 09/08 and 09/09 apple maturity: Honeycrisp are definitely coming along nicely, with much improved color development and starch-index approaching 5-6. Harvest should begin in earnest, although sugars could be higher. Don't expect much in sugar development and varietal flavor given the unuusally wet and cloudy summer of 2009, but fruit harvested and tested today (09/09) in Belchertown were very good flavor.
| Cultivar | date | Location | pre-harvest drop | color % red | fruit diameter inches | firmness lbs | soluble solids | starch index | comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redmax McIntosh | 9/8/2009 | Holliston | few | 85 | 3.2 | 15.5 | 10.6 | 4.5 (4-6) | with ReTain, look good for first pick, little drop as of yet |
| Honeycrisp | 9/8/2009 | Holliston | few | 55 | 3.4 | 15.4 | 11.8 | 4.3 (2-7) | good for first pick based on color, would like to see sugar higher; treated with ReTain |
| Golden Supreme | 9/9/2009 | Belchertown | nil | 10 | 3.1 | 16 | 11.8 | 4.7 (2-7) | ripens unevenly with drop; a nice looking apple with a sweet-fruity flavor, however, difficult to pick at optimum ripeness; biennial tendency; vigorous tree |
| Buckeye Gala | 9/9/2009 | Belchertown | nil | 100 | 2.9 | 18.1 | 10.6 | 3.8 (2-6.5) | just about ready for 1st pick, but might want to give a few days |
| Silken | 9/9/2009 | Belchertown | some | 5 | 3.2 | 15 | 12.5 | 5.5 (4-8) | a touch of watercore; just about perfect to harvest right now, but going fast |
| Honeycrisp | 9/9/2009 | Belchertown | some | 65 | 3.5 | 14.1 | 11.4 | 5.5 (4-7.5) | some bitter pit; very good to go, starting to drop |