Golden Delicious Apple Tree – AB

Description

Golden Delicious Apple Tree

The Golden Delicious apple tree is undoubtedly the most popular and most cultivated apple variety in France. Originally from the United States, discovered by chance in 1890 on the Mullins family’s farm in West Virginia, this exceptional variety has conquered the whole world with its reliability and versatility.

Named “Golden Delicious” in 1914 by the Stark nursery, this golden apple has become the absolute reference for apple lovers. It is the only French apple to benefit from an AOP (Protected Designation of Origin) under the name “Pomme du Limousin”.

Characteristics of the fruit

The Golden Delicious apple stands out for its exceptional taste qualities and remarkable culinary versatility.

Appearance of the fruit

Taste qualities

Golden Delicious offers juicy, crunchy flesh with a perfectly balanced taste. Its flavor is sweet and fragrant with a slight tangy hint that fades with storage. This versatile apple appeals to children and adults alike and is frequently used in infant food.

With only 55 calories per 100g, it is a healthy and nutritious snack rich in potassium and antioxidants.

Culinary Uses

Golden Delicious is the ultimate all-rounder. It excels in all culinary uses:

• Raw consumption: Perfect to eat, in fruit salad
• Pastry: Ideal for pies, compotes and desserts that require little added sugar
• Savoury cuisine: Excellent as an accompaniment to savory dishes
• Processing: Perfect for juices, cider and compotes

Tree Features

The Golden Delicious apple tree has characteristics that make it a preferred choice for home gardens and commercial orchards.

Port and development

• Vigour: Medium, balanced growth
• Port: Semi-erect with medium-open branch angles
• Adult size: 4 to 5 meters in height and wingspan
• Fruit set: Early and fast (2 to 4 years after planting)
• Productivity: Highly productive and consistent

Flowering

Golden Delicious flowers late, unfolding in late April – early May. It is abundantly covered with pretty clusters of very decorative pinkish-white flowers. This late flowering serves as a reference for dating other varieties of apple trees.

Pollination

Golden Delicious is not very self-fertile and requires the presence of other varieties to optimize its fruiting. Paradoxically, it is itself an excellent pollinator thanks to its long and abundant flowering.

The best pollinator varieties include the Cox Orange apple, the Melrose apple, the Queen of the Reinettes apple tree, and the Fuji apple tree.

Harvest period and storage

The harvest takes place from mid-September to mid-October depending on the weather conditions. Apples are edible as soon as they are harvested but gain flavour after a few weeks of ripening.

Exceptional conservation

Golden Delicious has remarkable storage qualities:

• At room temperature: 7 to 8 days in a cool, ventilated place
• Refrigerated: 4 to 6 weeks in the crisper drawer
• In cold storage: Up to 7 months in optimal conditions

For optimal storage, store apples with the stem side down in a cool, dry place.

Cultivation and maintenance

The Golden Delicious apple tree is renowned for its easy cultivation and adapts to most French climatic conditions.

Growing conditions

• Exhibition: Sun, tolerates partial shade
• Soil: Any soil that is rather cool and filtering, even clay
• pH: Slightly tolerant of limescale
• Hardiness: Excellent cold resistance (-30°C)

Care

This variety requires little specific maintenance. Regular thinning is recommended to obtain large apples. Add a special fruit fertilizer in the spring to promote optimal fruiting.

Disease resistance

Golden Delicious has a moderate resistance to disease. It can be susceptible to scab, canker, and woolly aphids. However, its hairless variety, it makes it less prone to powdery mildew than other cultivars.

Genetic inheritance

Golden Delicious has played a fundamental role in varietal improvement. She is a direct relative of many modern strains such as Gala, Jonagold, Elstar, Pinova, and many others. This exceptional relationship is a testament to its remarkable genetic qualities.

Resulting from an accidental cross between Golden Queen and Grimes Golden, it continues to influence the world’s pomology more than a century after its discovery.

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