JUST PEACHY
These little guys, from Indiana, have exactly the same colors as the local peaches here in the Bay State right now.
They are a sight for sore eyes. I have not tasted a new variety since last October.
These are Trailmans, and they are crab sized, most just a bit over an inch wide.
The blush is peachy orange over peachy yellow. Look closely for those tiny lenticel dots.
Shapes vary but are mostly cylindrical with a little ribbing that is most obvious around the calyx.
That is an outie (and clenched tight) like that of many crabs.
The peel is glossy and waxy. Unbroken, there is no aroma.
Mouth test
(Some of the samples were watercored, still good to eat but not as distinctive.)
The unaffected nibbles bring a lot of sweetness balanced by some very sharp
tart accents that also make for a bit of spiciness in the back of the
throat.
It is nice to find an apple this bold in this day and age!
There is also a distinct malt note. How would these be for cider?
It's a cliche these days, but the texture of this one might be comparable to Honeycrisp's. "Might" because it is hard to say due to the size difference. (You just can't chomp these little guys in the same way.)
Trailman finishes with some lingering sweetness that would be cloying in many varieties but that works very well thanks to the balancing tartness.
There is a whisper of berries in the finish as well. The flavors come together with integrity. This is one of the best of the super earlies (mid August) that I have managed to find.
Fedco sells Trailman trees, so someone around here must grow them. But who?
Further notes: A few have a blush a bit like a livid bruise, ochre brown overlayed with red squiggles. Sunburn, perhaps?
Trailman Crab
I got mine from Pete, a reader, who told me I had to try these, and then made it possible for me to do just that! and to share that experience with you.
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| Pete—I did. Thanks! Adam |
I have this apple and it is one of the better summer apples I've tasted when it's at it's best. I've noticed that some crabs get a sort of translucent look when they are ripe that is not watercore. I see it in Wickson and related apples and offspring. You probably know that Honeycrisp gets it's crisp from a crab apple ancestor. Many of these little crabs are crisper than crisp. I've been making cross pollinations with trailman for a few years. I've sent intentionally pollinated and open pollinated seeds out and grown out a few. I have some in the fridge now. I know others that are growing them out from seed too in the North where it seems to be considered to be the best of the extremely hardy apples.
ReplyDeleteI'm convinced that the best crabs and crab hybrids are yet to come and diligently trying to make that happen with parents like trailman, chestnut crab, Wickson, Malus Prunifolia, Vixen, Muscat de Venus, and Irecently added Centennial which gets rave reviews. I fact, I've seen Chestnut, Centennial and Wickson mentioned at the top of top favorites lists pretty frequently. Take that, and the fact that the current most popular apple derives it's only real characteristic of interest to crab genetics, and it's pretty obvious that there is huge potential there that should be chased more. I'm now using one of my own Wickson seedlings, Cherub, as a breeding parent. Crimson Gold is another one that shows the potential. If breeders had any sense, they would go after small apples with crab apple genetics, similar to the new rocket apple on the market, but with flavor lol. I swear they put a team of people together to breed a miniature apple with as little unique character as possible. Mission accomplished.
I predict we will eventually see super crisp miniature apples that actually have some of the special flavor characteristics available to us in the crab apple genes. Let me know when you're ready to join the revolution and allocate a corner of your yard to growing apple seedlings and I'll hook you up ;)
Thanks for the offer! and thoughts.
DeleteI have the idea of the crabs as backdoor repositories of flavor and genetic diversity. A bland crab would just be a dead end. (Or are you casting shade on Rockit?)
I'm not a cider maker (yet), but I know of others that use trailman with outstanding results. This is the first year I've seen the watercoring (?) defect in trailman, but suspect it's related to the hot, humid weather we had as they began ripening. These small intensely flavored boutique apples (of which trailman is just one variety) fail to get the attention they deserve due in part to being know as "crabapples" as they are under 2 inches. Wickson is probably the best know, but there are several others. My favorite probably being the late ripening etter's crimson gold (little rosybloom).
ReplyDeleteI often see the translucent effect in overripe Hewe's Crabs. I haven't the slightest clue what causes it.
ReplyDeleteIt seems everywhere I look is telling me to add Trailman to the summer portion of my collection. It is plenty hardy even for my needs, and sounds quite enjoyable. I don't have much experience yet, but a crunchy summer apple doesn't seem to be very common.