Dorsett Golden and other lo-chill apples commonly bloom again in the fall. The bloom is often triggered by water -- either the gardener gives it a good soak late in the season or a generous rainfall.

Any fruits that set late are typically of lower quality than the normal spring crop. I always removed any fruits that set in the fall.

Jean,

who gardened in Long Beach, CA, for 30-some years

Thank you so much for the explanation! Not sure what could have triggered it as we didn't have any rain or change in irrigation, but it's interesting to know that it's not uncommon. :-)

I was told by a tree grower representative to pinch off the blooms in the fall, as that is an entry point for fire blight. It sounds like your branch is launching a breva crop though, a usually secondary cropping that we in the milder climates see on some varieties. A few of my apples and my Washington Navel tree will have a very small breva crop if I let them, though the fruit never has ripened to maturity.

Breba crop is a reference for figs.

For low-chill apples, it's simply a fall crop.

In any event, I always removed the fall blossoms because the fruit would be small & poor quality.