Chuck:

I have a Geneva crab here, right up close to the house. With its dark pink blossoms and purple leaves, it is the most beautiful of all my apple trees. The fruit is also pretty, and colors up almost as soon as it forms.

But I would compare the flavor and texture of this apple to pink styrofoam. I also planted this tree as a cider blending apple, and you can use it to add color (and astringency) to fresh pressed cider. It may add something, maybe tannins, if you are a hard cider maker. About the only thing we use them for now is to turn the applesauce a nice pink color.

They should make a pretty pink jelly, but this is a dry apple compared with most others. When they size up they are ready to pick and mine are ready right now. Leaving them on the tree doesn't seem to improve them much in terms of flavor, juiciness or texture. They are beautiful apples, but poor quality in other respects. You can fool your friends by giving them one to eat fresh and watch as they bite into it.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Thanks Don. It's a pity such a beautiful apple is not also a good culinary one. I do plan to make hard cider when I finally have enough fruit, and I'm short on the bitter/sharps, so perhaps the Geneva will help there. In the meantime, I just have enough apples for jelly and apple butter and such, and the wife has been looking forward to using the Genevas because of their color. Even if the jelly sucks the jars will probably look nice on the shelf!

It is a nice looking tree, too. The upright habit has been appreciated because I am pruning impaired.

Chuck

I checked back at the Vintage Virginia Apples web page....should have thought of that before. They give ripening dates in Virginia for their fruits:

Geneva Crab
GENEVA CRAB is a very large and pinkish, red-fleshed crab. Its very acidic juice makes it an excellent addition to cider blends. Ripens late August to early September, here. Flowers are large and intensely pink. Leaves are dark maroon-red. Will not pollinate other varieites.

When I was ordering trees from them I searched on the key word "cider". I ended up with an interesting mix of trees for that first order! I don't think I agree with the description of the apples as "pinkish". They are way dark to be called pinkish!

Chuck