Mrs G:

It is a deep orange but not much red blush. The taste is just what I think a great apricot should taste like. It's ripe this year about 10 days after Tomcot and just before Robada. Robada is much bigger and probably sweeter but I'd give the flavor edge to Orangered. A definite keeper.

I wish you could come by as well. You could try them all. The sweet cherries are ripening as well and running 25-32+ brix. But I'd rate the Orangered better than the cherries.

Sounds good. I got a few apricots off my "Goldkist" tree this year. They were large, neither soft nor firm and had a taste I liked. I wasn't blown away though. Looking forward to more next year.

Wow!!!!!

I have one growing in a pot. Variety is NJ bred but interestingly not recommended for the Northeast, so I decided to container grow it to get better control over where and when it comes out of dormancy. This spring with its continually fluctuating temps proved too difficult a challenge and what little fruit wasn't lost to frost was lost to neglect. I'll chalk it up to a learning experience and hopefully better luck next year with the weather. Also grafted it to native plum so will see how it does in ground as well.

Adams sells it so I consider a good candidate for the northeast- where did you hear otherwise?

So far it appears to be a keeper in my nursery and has not succumbed to serious bacterial leaf spot, unlike most other varieties this year.

I have one in my actual orchard in a Z6 site somewhat frost prone. There are a few fruit on it, so if I taste any I will report.

I'd think it a great candidate for the Northeast as it was bred at Rutgers in NJ. It may be too high chilling for outdoors here but I think it should be on the late side for blooming. I've got a nice tree outside that is growing like a weed. I'm hoping it blooms next year. My outdoor planting is more to access bloom date than to get fruit, frost and bird issues.

Like most fruits YMMV due to climate and culture.

Here's a picture of what's ripe now.

From left: Robada Orangered Cot-N-Candy Golden Sweet

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They all look great....

I've seen several references to Orangered not having being recommended for local planting by the Rutgers breeders though all I can find now is this reference to a Michigan apricot evaluation where they mention that the variety was not " hardy in NJ." http://agbioresearch.msu.edu/swmrec/publications/annual_report/2002/apricot_2002.pdf
From what I recall the breeders were losing their crop to frost too high a percentage of years to recommend it locally. But it is apparently a high quality cultivar and went on to become very popular in France .I think I've seen this discussed on this forum in the past.

Yes ACN offers the variety, but I would not read too much into that to expect it to perform well in the Northeast on that basis alone. For one thing they are located only a few miles from the Mason-Dixon line and are a large nationally known outfit and would expect they have a fairly widely dispersed customer base. They do mostly have varieties recommended for the area, but they offer other things too. Just check out their pluot list and compare to whatever pluot reports you might find for the Northeast.

The thing is I've gotten it through 4 winters here and there's fruit on the tree. It doesn't bloom earlier than other varieties so I rather doubt there's much to that but we shall see. I have 3 Har varieties on my property, Tomcot, Early Blush and the only two trees that look healthy are my Orangered and my Alfred.

I grow my nursery apricots on another site where they are less challenged.

I've long since learned the university evaluations are not actually all that reliable unless they are based on the experiences of a wide range of commercial growers. Often they evaluate based on just one or two sites.

Orangered sounds great. Wonder if it is a sweet pit variety like its descendant Robada?

Here, just finishing up Flavor Delight Pluot with a few more Harcot apricots on the tree. 103 degrees forecast tomorrow. May pick the rest tonight.

Flavor Delight is not as good as Harcot, but it can still taste great as a first of the season fruit. Much better flavor if kept on the dry side while ripening and left on the tree until dead ripe (or picked up from the ground after a windfall). Flavor seems to benefit from chilling, unlike many stone fruits. I suspect that its early bloom limits its climate adaptability, but here, it is one of the most reliable producers even if there is a little rain during bloom.

The Plumcot offered by LE Cooke is coming on now. Pretty little tree, easy to care for. Very soft fruit on the mush side, with some flowery perfume and sweetness when fully ripe. Some people really like it. Bland rather than acid until ripe. Fruit doesn't keep and comes on for only a few days. Blooms late, with Emerald Beaut. Showy bloom. Don't know if it works as a pollenizer.

Fruitnut! Fantastic. I can only imagine the great 'brix and taste tests' on all four varieties. Unbelievable! Mrs. G . . . Double wow!!!

Orangered is looking promising for me as well. It doesn't bloom particularly early. I will hopefully get my first few fruits off of it in a month or so. If it works it will be a great fruit for eastern growers, it is one of the most tasty apricots out there. When the French are wild about a variety from the US you know its tasty.

Scott

Scott:

That's good to know. I'll look forward to your review.

What else of ours do those French love?

Fruitnut, there are many US varieties popular in France. Many of our standards are popular, for example Golden Delicious was not long ago the most popular apple in terms of sales. Many US peaches are also popular, Redhaven etc. In some other fruits they have their own varieties however - plums for example are usually French varieties. The French site below is a good link.

Scott

Here is a link that might be useful: pommiers site

The university folks often don't get out enough and think results on their limited test sites are somehow universal in similar climate. Managing so many orchards has taught me how much a variety will often perform much differently on a slightly different site-usually for reasons that absolutely escape me.

Quoting fruitnut,

"What else of ours do those French love?"

I read in some articles that the French love white fleshed nectarines (Zaiger's varieties).

Could someone tell me what to look for to determine ripeness?? I have several trees but only the raboda has large full colored fruit right now and I don't have enough of them to "just pick one and see how it taste"" so please don't suggest that unless full color and size indicates ripeness.

TIA

Could someone tell me what to look for to determine ripeness?? I have several trees but only the raboda has large full colored fruit right now and I don't have enough of them to "just pick one and see how it taste"" so please don't suggest that unless full color and size indicates ripeness.

TIA

kngskid:

Nice going!! Apricots typically soften just a little a day before falling off the tree. If they feel slightly soft and come off with a gentle tug they are ripe. But you could pick them a couple days sooner and ripen at room temperature and I doubt there would be any difference you could taste.

If you prefer more tartness eat a day or two sooner. But some are astringent or otherwise bad tasting to me if picked too early.

Thanks fruitnut. You inspired me to give it a shot and it has been fun to say the least. Now I'll go and give those apricots a squeeze and a tug and see what I get.

On further consideration it's true that we as home orchardists will have lower requirements for dependability of crop than commercial planters, especially if we, as many of us do, diversify widely in both variety and species. So Rutgers' recommendation, which is advice to commercial planters, who could not accept a failed crop in e.g. every 1 in 4 years, probably should not be interpreted or deter plantings by those home orchardists for which that failure ratio is acceptable and par for the course. This year I've lost the bulk of my plum crop to frost, as I have more frequently than I'd like, but I'm not about to remove the plum trees from my orchard or even call this a bad fruit year as I have high expectations for a number of my other species.

Rutgers may have their facts right on this one as it's been out for quite a while- but I've been misled by many descriptions of fruit released by Cornell- usually on the disappointing side, however.