Tasting Apples and Collecting Seeds, Oct 2024

Tasting apples oct. 2024
Support on / skillcult has been critical in keeping me experimenting and making content. If you want to help me help others, this is probably the best way to do it. Thank you Patrons for supporting the mission!
Donations can also be sent via PayPal @: www.paypal.com...
Buy less, but buy it through my links! Shopping through my affiliate links generates revenue for me, at no extra cost to you, click links here, or go to my Amazon Store page: skillcult.com/a... But seriously, buy less, do more.
Standard gear I recommend. I either use or have used all of it.
Council Tool Boys Axe: amzn.to/3z0muqI
Bahco Farmer's File: amzn.to/3Hbdhij
King two sided sharpening stone: amzn.to/32EX1XC
Silky f180 saw: amzn.to/3yZzM71
ARS 10 foot long reach pruner: amzn.to/3esETmM
Victorinox grafting/floral knife: amzn.to/3Jki1E9
Wiebe 12” fleshing tool: amzn.to/3sB0qSl
Atlas Elbow Gloves: amzn.to/3FwB5g6
BOOKS:
The Axe Book, by Dudley Cook: amzn.to/32kx7sN
Bushcraft, by Mors Kochanski: amzn.to/32q2rpT
Subscribe to my channel for more insightful Self Reliance related content: www.youtube.com... Click the bell icon to be notified of new content. Subscribing doesn’t mean that much on it’s own.
Blog and website: www.skillcult.com/blog
Instagram and Facebook @SkillCult

[@funstock2965]

I sometimes get jealous of Washington and California growers as they seem to have an advantage with weather and pests, but hearing your issues reminds me that we all have our challenges. Here in Kansas my apple crop was better than usual and I took my last tasting walk yesterday. My orchard is slowly improving. I use the STUN method - sheer total utter neglect, but I still get enough apples for the family typically. Watching your efforts always pushes me to go do a little more. I learn listening to you and I get inspired by your passion and enthusiasm. Thank you.

[@SkillCult]

So true, same as every season has its benefits and challenges. I am glad our disease and pest pressure is low or I probably wouldn't have the patience for apples lol. Or I would go all in on breeding for disease resistance. The nice thing about the STUN method is you reallly see what rises to the challenge. I'm not one to babysit weak, primadona plants. I could use cold water to water my lettuce starts in a shade house, then shade them and water 3 times a day, but I'd rather keep trying different lettuce varieties til I find stuff I don't have to pamper.

[@Highlander.7]

the STUN method is where it is at. i do some hobby breeding with cannabis. it is insane how many weak plants are being bred and made available.

[@Thee_Sinner]

Grass is always greener. Im really struggling to get things to grow in California. By the time my plants are mature, temps are already over 90 and nothing can pollinate. When the temps finally fall, aphids come en masse; if I miss just a day or two of spraying and cleaning them off, my whole garden will be taken over. I have had less than 5 tomatoes ripen in the last 3 years... I know Im doing something wrong because my grandpa was able to garden in the same climate, but its not just some cheat code living here.

[@mattv5281]

Its cool that you're working with Cummins Nursery. I've bought a fair number of trees online, and the ones from Cummins were by far the healthiest.

[@Alaskancrabpuffs21]

I planted my first Etter apple, a Grenadine today, and I will check its progress throughout the winter and spring, and summer. Here in Oregon it should just take off and do well

[@primoculturefarms]

The long awaited update! Hope you're doing well Steven.

[@kathleenebsen2659]

Stephen, you are an inspiration! You have kept persevering towards your dream through very tough times. Now you are seeing it through. Keep it up!

[@lornabaker4039]

So glad to see an update from you! I was just checking yesterday for a new video and sad that there weren’t any. Will you have scions of that “best red fleshed” apple available this winter?

[@SkillCult]

No, not this time for sure. I need to assess it more and decide what to do with it. I've not eaten enough fruit yet or made enough observations. I've managed to use it in making crosses a lot though, to its genes will be going out this year in seeds at least. the original tree is so weak that it is probably going to take new trees and branches to get much quality fruit. I have it grafted out in various places, so hopefully that won't take too long.

[@tracybruring7560]

Grew cherokee purple this year and they knocked my socks off with the flavor. Will grow those again.

[@SkillCult]

try paul robeson. It is like that kind of tomato taken to the next level. Very susceptible to late blight though. If I had grown it this year it would probably be completely toast.

[@december12ist]

This is one man I wish I knew in person and wish I could learn what he knows. I wish I could help him with the work he is part of. I know I could learn a lot from and not just about apples.... Good luck my friend. I'm glad your channel has grown. Maybe one day we will meet. Stay amazing and keep flourishing.

[@SkillCult]

Thanks :). hat might be possible in the future. Eventually I'll need to have long term interns or apprentices. Probably when I get moved to a new place.

[@Kozu604]

Always good to see you and your works.

[@manatoa1]

Good to see you back!

[@WildFreeinWestVirginia]

I love your videos and I had already ordered some of your Apple trees from Cummings Nursery. I live 30 miles from the farm where the Golden Delicious Apple came from. Central West Virginia

[@SkillCult]

Awesome!

[@jeremythomas3273]

Man your getting old skillcult. Been watching for years! Congeats on the harvest. Your the last of a dying breed. Pass your precious knoledge down as much as you can. Much love brotha

[@SkillCult]

I think I've been doing youtube for over ten years maybe. lost track, so yeah, old lol.

[@sherwarlockplays6179]

finally I was rewatching his videos last night I really missed this thank God his back I am so happy I just went to comments

[@notforwantoftrying1]

I've grown Crimson Crush for several years in a row and it has great blight resistance, large and well shaped fruit, heavy cropping, and the flavor is excellent. I would highly recommend it, the only drawback is that it's a hybrid. I did get one bad seed that was not true to type in the pack I bought, so be careful with which supplier you go with.

[@SkillCult]

Sounds interesting. All apples from seed are hybrids in the sense that they almost never grow true to seed. That is good if you want to make new apple varieties.

[@zachyates8440]

Zone 2 grower here. I germinated about 30 of your seeds. I am hoping that they make it through an Alaskan winter!!

[@SkillCult]

good luck. It's a numbers game for you guys up there

[@dinosaurfarm]

Zone 3 in northern BC and my first round of Edholm seeds got about 90% survival their first winter, I leaned heavy to Wickson as the parent. I was expecting more mortality so I'll have to space them further out manually, assuming they make it through this winter too.

[@SkillCult]

@@dinosaurfarm Someone was saying that there is a nursery in I think zone 4 growing a lot of red fleshed apples. Hopefully some of them are hardy.

[@limenzest]

I had some varieties go bad and not ripen properly with the high heat this year. Other varieties made it through, especially the trees that have good soil and regular irrigation

[@Highlander.7]

Cheers from Sacramento brother, i love your work and thoroughly look forward to the updates. can we expect apple seed around February in your store? cheers and blessings, shalom

[@SkillCult]

I hope earlier. someone else asked me to try to make them available sooner. I'm usually waiting for the late varieties to come in, but maybe I won't this year and just list when they are almost all in. the best ways in order to find out about seed and scion availability are patreon, subbing to my blog and instagram, then youtube :)...

[@nonyadamnbusiness9887]

And here I am in north Florida still waiting on my first apple. We had essentially no winter. Only the Shell of Alabama and Sundowner flowered. Not enough for the bees to pay any attention. Most of the trees didn't even leaf out until the end of May. I wish I could try some of your crosses, but there's no point. We have to concentrate our efforts on early flowering and fast maturing.

[@marktaylor2645]

Try putting some herbs or flowers under your tree that flower at the same time the apples do, to attract pollinators.

[@nonyadamnbusiness9887]

@@marktaylor2645 All two and half acres is covered in blooms all the time. There weren't enough apple blooms for some random pollinator to make the connection from tree to tree.

[@SkillCult]

have you explored kuffle creek and his blog for varieties they grow in the tropics? The real way to win that game though is going to be breeding for the climate.

[@carlandrews5810]

Have you done any videos on using biochar when planting apple trees by any chance?

[@SkillCult]

No. You will need a lot to make any difference. I've planted some on big pits that are 10% char, but they are up to 3 feet deep and 8 to 10 feet across!

[@mr.fraedd693]

Oh, i feel you it is disappointing to put so much work in it and have little results. Of my apples only two hand pollinated flowers took this year, due to late frosts. Those two fruits rotted on the tree. I got one fruit of a hand pollinated pear with one viable seed... But i am happy to have at least a few apples. So i will sow some open pollinated seeds and will try to improve my "technique" of growing the seedlings. It took them very long to continue growing after i transplanted them to outside this spring. Thanks for the inspirating Videos!

[@SkillCult]

well, it is a good way to cultivate patience lol.

[@projectmalus]

Something I had great success with a few yrs back was homemade corrugated cardboard tree tubes filled with potting soil. Better to direct sow in spot they are to grow (I did that too) but 16 of these fit in a milk crate and I was able to do 11 crates in a small space. I made them 14 inches tall and 2 5/8 a side where I slit thru one side to bend it. Put paper in the bottom of the crate and plant after they sprout asap. Watch for ants if you put them on the ground. Usually they don't all sprout so one tube can be destroyed to get a hand under the tube and lift it out, I didn't find it a problem nor the cardboard rotting too quick. Cheers.

[@mr.fraedd693]

@@projectmalus Thanks for that advice. Seems like a good and affordable option. I will definitely try that! Direct sowing wont work here. Either the mice ore the slugs would just eat the seedlings.

[@thewrenchreviews9986]

Grew a dwarf tomato this year called Awesome. Incredible flavor, very well balamced and intense. Orange/yellow with red in its heart when ripe and blushed on its exterior. Best tomato I have grown alongside the Berkeley Tie Dyed and the varuous Bumble Bee Cherrry tomatoes.

[@Digitaldryad]

It sucks losing so much fruit, but it's great to be such an active part of your local ecosystem

[@lukearts2954]

How about offering the foxes something more attractive than apples? Like chickens... Find an egg farm in your area and ask about their rotation schedule. They retire the animals after a year or 18 months of laying, and then they sell them off to processing plants for cents. So if you offer them $10, you might go home with 15-20 sacrificial chickens. Keep them cooped up except 2-3 for the foxes to take instead of apples. If they take the bait, it's a cost effective low effort solution. Once they take it, maybe move the chickens further and further away from the orchard.

[@draketeeth8004]

In the past he has had chickens. Offering sacrifice birds may set a bad standard and put his own flock in peril if the foxes get used to being fed on his property.

[@feralkevin]

I love the work you are doing. If only people were doing this in every climate and with not just apples, how much richer the world would be!

[@SkillCult]

Yes, i think that is the future. Apples are like a gateway fruit, but hopefully more and more people will take up breeding and selection. It is a now much neglected aspect of horitculture and almost all plants can still be improved and diversified.

[@Wisconsin_Gardener]

Sweet 16 is my new favorite variety.

[@SkillCult]

When it's good, it can be amazing. I hope it is a lot more consistent there than here. It is a northern variety. I won't grow it here for anything but breeding because it is the odd year that it is worth eating.

[@Wisconsin_Gardener]

@@SkillCult I only started gardening and growing trees last year. 26 fruit trees later and here I am.

[@David-kd5mf]

The dang varmints ! I had the one two punch of squirrels and woodchuck get most of my apples

[@andrejofak4787]

Nice to see you in action again. Are there apple varieties that would develop more creamier texture like tropical fruits? Would growing the apple seedlings and than grafting them work in developing new varieties? Thanks!

[@Donnie_M.]

STEED variety apples now available at a nursery. Very cool.

[@dinosaurfarm]

My geese have learned to jump up, grab a branch, and shake the branch until the apples fall down so they can eat them. On the other hand, watering the trees with goose water means they rarely have an off-year. I'm in northern BC, Canada though so if I didn't have my dogs the moose would take the trees down to the snowline. Hard to think that when I'm gone my test orchard likely won't survive me.

[@SkillCult]

Fencing moose out is a whole other bag of dicks I would think. We have Elk in the area, but not here. I can imagine trying to keep those things out though. My chickens learned to jump up and get pretty high apples, but in a good year there are plenty of drops and they help clean up buggy fruits that fall interupting the life cycle.

[@alancole1394]

Welcome back

[@Arcturus218]

I’ve always loved your videos about apples. I bought a house with apple trees on the property, but I think they are just wild? I don’t pick them because the birds and opossums love them.

[@ArthurWierzchos]

Great to see you sharing content again Steven. Hoping that angel investor or two show up to help you kick into a higher gear. You are an inspiration to so many of us. Ive been trying all the apples Im able to here in Poland, and saving seeds from the best ones. One in particular really stood out this year. It was a pink/red flesh, softer texture, but not mealy or unpleasant. Actually, it has been one of my favorite apples Ive tried yet, although im nowhere near the connoisseur status as yourself, so my opinion is somewhat limited. The flavor definitely had strawberry and cherry in it, and it wasn't very subtle either. It was labeled as "Paula Red". Are you familiar with this one? I did take some photos, and saved every seed that i could, and intend to plant them all. Id be happy to send you more info via email if it interests you.

[@SkillCult]

I have not grown paula red yet. I should find it. I didn't know it could have pink flesh. I'll look for it.

[@dlbuffmovie]

Woo hoo on getting stuff out for sale!! Hoping you get some commission from them, cause I'll be getting a couple that I've not managed to get from your auctions.

[@SkillCult]

Yeah, they are charging a royalty fee for me.

[@TheNuggetlegs]

The Golden Harvey I sent you was from the USDA. When it's good, the flavor is great, but I've only had good ones once in 5 years. It's also hella disease prone.

[@SkillCult]

Nothing doing here yet. Like so many other famous apples.

[@mikemadison7410]

California farmland is very expensive to buy. A lot of land in my area (Winters, CA) that is planted to orchards is on a thirty-year lease, written into the deed, so that the farmer doesn't have to lay out the millions to buy the land but gets the use of it. Some of the leases are cash rent, others are crop-share. I enjoy your videos, and they inspired me to plant some Wickson, about 200 trees. The Bud9 rootstock doesn't grow worth a damn, but on M111 the trees are doing great.

[@SkillCult]

There are little pockets here and there that are more isolated that aren't too expensive, because actual farmers are not likely to look at them. There is one under 400k big acreage, creek, pond and about 10 acres of bottom land. Who knows what the soil is really like though. it is not likely to be the best of the best. But even just really actually flat bottom land is a start.

[@SkillCult]

I don't make much cider, but I don't see any reason they would not be good.

[@mikemadison7410]

@@SkillCult Looks like from your videos you are in maybe Sonoma or Mendocino county. My friend, Kristyn Leach (Namu Farm, Second Generation Seeds), a truly wonderful farmer, last year bought an 8 acre farm in Sebastopol (price in 7 figures) based on a go-fund-me type campaign. You have a lot of followers--I bet you could raise a few hundred K$ or more with that. I'd kick in.

[@bertbert2725]

i have some varieties on my frankentree that were inspired by your videos. (29 varieties currently. in Belgium) but it was a bad year and then the tree got hit by a storm. i got one king david that was delicious, 2 chestnut and 2 golden russet. the only branch in the tree that got lots of appels was wickson and it was the first time it fruited. i guess this apple needs more sun than we had because it was really underwhelming. not much flavor and just quite acidic.

[@SkillCult]

Wickson really has to have time to ripen all the way. I have not picked mine yet. It may also not like it there and early crops are often not the best.

[@backyardfigs]

Hey Steven, thanks again for sending Rubaiyat pollen so fast. Just in time to polinate Goldrush. Today, I had picked 7 polinated apples. Btw, I know that your property is much larger then mine, but could you use at least on some areas electric netting fence? Solar powered, even bears will leave your apples alone. Zarko from Michigan.

[@SkillCult]

Keeping small animals out is pretty hard. Most bears are deterred by the electric fence around one orchard, but not all of them.

[@williamblack1581]

Watch Kaskos recent video where he shows off the second year fruits on Liberty which I've seen said is exceptionally high in antioxidants... Imo you do way better crossing those with something like Liberty rather than Honeycrisp which is already being replaced .. the reason I know is thst they finally sell the better ones in stores in Texas. We've had flavorless Honeycrisp for years... finally they taste like Honey with minimal nutrition.. apple states are bored with those and now they want the even more crispy comics and they look cool i suppose. The sound they make is a point

[@petekooshian5595]

THANK YOU! Finally someone said it: honey crisp is mid and I'm tired of pretending it isn't 😤😤

[@baddriversofcolga]

I'll be curious to see how those Honeycrisp crosses come out. It's my favorite grocery store apple and it reminds me of Fla-Vor-Ice. It's unfortunate it's hard to grow, though (at least in the east anyway).

[@SkillCult]

I ate the second fruit there and it was actually really good. Nice, somewhat complex fruity flavor. Finally a good honeycrisp. I don't think it will be that hard to improve into a healthier tree with a little intent.

[@tonythepwny]

It's been a crazy temp year in Michigan, late frost killed most of the flowers on my trees. Got my first PRI-FTZ apple, it was tiny and partially eaten by a lady bug, tasted like bubblegum. Got my first Trailman X Pink Parfait apples from a tree I planted in probably 2020, super tart but edible, nothing intriguing.

[@SkillCult]

Now I need PRI-FTZ! Give that trailman x PP time. maybe it will shape up.

[@St.IsaacOfSyria]

Seeds are always sold out. Oh well, can't do apples very well in Fl anyway.

[@SkillCult]

Seeds happen in the winter and sometimes are available for months. But not all year.

[@DevaJones03]

the silver fox vs the regular fox LOL 6:46 i'm definitely interested if you offer it. i'd grow it out here to see what it has to offer. sir....you might want to start scouting out rich women like the saying goes do some strange things for some change LOL you're right though the house i live in now i drove by it all the time and said i want to live in that neighborhood and well now i do so you never know. but until then short hoochie man shorts around rich women

[@SkillCult]

lol.

[@justincole8773]

Before you cull the banana flavored apple with pink flesh please send out some scions. I’ve got my jewel, Pomo sanel, dodd’s, winter banana. Crossing them with Kandil sinap and trying to get some long shaped banana flavored apples. 😂 Frost hit my jewel hard this year and itching for it to get fruit next growing season.

[@SkillCult]

I won't kill it. I just am not likely to send it to anyone except breeders. I might be able to send out some pollen this year. The long banana flavored apple idea is brilliant. good luck!

[@Highlander.7]

hmm I've looked into farm credit for buying land, but even just a lease as someone mentioned would be awesome. land around this area is expensive, up north around Redding's outskirts there is a great amount of affordable land avg 5k or less per acre. although I've seen 600 acres for 300k. it is decent area with springs wells and creeks throughout. I am unsure of the soil type of there . here in Sacramento we have 1 -2 ft of topsoil and then solid clay ancient lakebed all the way down.

[@SkillCult]

norcal iin general is cheap right now, but higher end, closer in properties less so. I could buy something totally adequate for a basic homestead no problem, even with significant flat fertile ground. I may end up doing that, but it doesn't feel right just now. My vision is too big to be contained by a mediocre property, so compromising now is letting that go essentially.

[@MaluseedGrowers]

What are the odds that on the same day I discovered a Blossom on my 1.5 year Gold Rush Graft and you Upload a New video. Nice👍

[@940joey2]

It’s always a good day to see a new skillcult video !! Hope you’re doing well, Steven. Inspiring and educational as always. 🤙

[@Menstral]

I would become a fox cereal-ender

[@mynameisnotcory]

It was a bad year for all my plants. No tomatoes, very few peppers, carrots were small, no apples and i lost a tree, peach tree almost dsplit in half, and even my luffa gourd didnt set even a single fruit /: ive been doing this for 10 years and ive never had to work harder for no fruit

[@SkillCult]

Bummer. Better luck next year.

[@aryehaidman6660]

if i have a couple apple and peach trees how do i keep the squirels/birds away. i didn't get a single apple/peach this year because of the squirels.

[@PlanetaryAwareness]

Do you sell any trees of cuttings of any varieties that are less susceptible to plum curculio? We're in VA and it's always been an issue. Asian pears not affected much.

[@SkillCult]

I don't have that information. we have something that looks like plum curculio here, but I'm not sure it is and it isn't bad enough to make any real observations. You might have to try them and tell me ha ha.

[@СерджиоБевз]

Хай вашi мечти збудуться...❤

[@Michael-vr3uf]

Judging apples just plucked from the tree has its pitfalls. Golden Harvey, from what the literature says, needs more than a month in storage to develop its full aroma.

[@SkillCult]

Here they are already soft. I don't think they would improve in storage or could be picked early enough. It may not even be the real golden harvey, who knows, but probably just can't take the heat.

[@Michael-vr3uf]

@@SkillCult I've grafted one here; we'll see whether it is any good. Otherwise I'll graft it over to something like d'Arcy Spice or Wickson (got the scion from someone who got it from you😊).

[@alberteinstein5421]

Is there anyone in Europe who sells your varieties or might plan to do so? Would love to try the Vanilla Pink, but I don't think I could handle the bureaucracy of importing living plant matter (and likely the cost associated)...

[@SkillCult]

Quite possibly. You can contact me through the website.

[@michaellacy8510]

Gray foxes are smart and persistent. And good climbers. I love ‘em. But they can be a pain in the ass.

[@mrstihl16]

Any chance you can list seeds for sale earlier in the year so we can do the same thing by just germinating them in pots left outside? I don't get enough cold hours where I am to reliably do that when I bought seed last year.

[@SkillCult]

I'll think about trying to. I usually wait till the late stuff is in, but maybe I won't this year, in which case, maybe by even early dec.

[@syrup-man6704]

How about a guard dog?

[@SkillCult]

It is tempting, but I'd have to listen to it bark all night at everything and there is a lot to bark at here lol.

[@paul.1337]

Honeycrisp crosses?!? Betrayal!!! (I'm kidding.)

[@SkillCult]

I actually ate that other one and it was really good. finally one with flavor. Seems like a good base to work from if we can get some healthy, vital genetics in there. Of course everyone else already is, so there is less incentive there.

[@СерджиоБевз]

У вас унiверсiтет нових сортiв...😊❤

[@sherwarlockplays6179]

my only problem is my climate is tropical but i will keep trying my best to start seeds

[@SkillCult]

There are some apples that will grow in the tropics and more can be developed. Check out the apples and oranges blog and kuffle creek. You can just plant a lot of seeds from all over and see what makes it. But I think you'll do better by choosing seeds of apples that already do well in the tropics. Make a list and try to get those varieties as trees and seeds of them.

[@ArthurWierzchos]

There are people growing apples in Hawaii, and getting them to fruit with zero chill hours in the lower elevations.

[@sherwarlockplays6179]

@@ArthurWierzchos how do they start seeds

[@sherwarlockplays6179]

@@ArthurWierzchos what variety

[@ArthurWierzchos]

@@sherwarlockplays6179 When i lived there I just planted the seeds into pots, and eventually had a couple hundred trees pop up. I was in a higher and cooler elevation at the time, so that might have helped. Steven (SkillCult) has some great videos going into detail about good practice for starting seeds by stratifying them first.

[@rubygray7749]

Time to tan a fox fur coat

[@lukebracero3875]

hey Uncle it's your nephew.😊

[@SkillCult]

Hey! ❤🤘

[@СерджиоБевз]

Я надiюсь...що колись спробую на смак вашi сорти яблук..бо в нас вони дуже дорогi (живцi)..

[@BaronShawThiessen]

I've been waiting on the tomboy update

[@SkillCult]

It hasn't peaked yet, but I just ate a couple that were very good.

[@QuentinKreamer]

I been having issues with Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers damaging my two apple trees.

[@carlandrews5810]

Likewise

[@SkillCult]

I have something similar. they don't do a lot of damage, so I just ignore them. They don't seem to bother the trees too much, at least not here. the holes heal up pretty fast.

[@abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxy26]

You mentioned before that you suffer from low energy. I did also till I began talking a good multivitamin. Try taking a multivitamin.

[@SkillCult]

been there done that. I'm starting to feel better pretty consistently. fingers crossed.

[@okam8662]

Get a game camera so you know what's doing the damage....my guess is raccoons.

[@SkillCult]

It's a host of characters, possums, coons, foxes, bears, occasionally deer if the bears break the fences down and let them in.

[@Menstral]

Dye your beard, it will look better AND your subscribers will increase.

[@3FeathersFarmstead]

Dafuq? 😂

[@homestead.design]

Don't mess with The Apple Chad!