Golden Russet apple

Golden Russet apple identification images

All images copyright Orange Pippin unless otherwise stated.

USDA identification images for Golden Russet

The identification paintings in the USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection span the years 1886 to 1942.

Citation: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705.

Visitor reviews

• 18 Feb 2023 

  Just ate my first russet apple. Delicious with a hint of pear in this sweet tasting , crunchy apple.
• 17 Feb 2023 

  Just ate my first russet apple. Delicious with a hint of pear in this sweet tasting , crunchy apple.
• 20 Oct 2022 

  I bought a couple at Champlain Orchards in Vermont. The clerk actually gave them to me, saying they were sour, but I think they're great, not sour at all!
• 26 Aug 2020  CT, United States

  A neighbor left a bag of these odd looking apples on my doorstep 4 years ago... the taste and subsequent applesauce and pies were stunning. I tracked down the source of the apples and found they were Golden Russets and started making cider. This year I bought semi-dwarf GR, Newtown Pippin and RI Greening trees from Orange-Pippin and planted them in the yard. Here's to the future.
• 02 Jul 2019  CO, United States

  I have a golden russet and it made it through two frosts this spring and i only have two fruit left on the tree but they are growing and looking good. When is the best time to pick them and enjoy them? tj
• 09 Apr 2017  NY, United States

  This has been my favorite apple for roughly fifty three years. I was turned off by the look until I was about eight. Then I finally tried one and it has been an obsession ever since. As a kid I loved the intense sweetness and nuttiness. The older I get the more I like the subtle nuances. They lose crispness after a month or two. Germans call russets "gummiapfel" (rubber apple) for the way they soften after a couple of months (not nearly as fast nor as mushy as MacIntosh though). But the taste lasts well --I've enjoyed home stored golden russets into June when they look and feel utterly disreputable. If anyone knows where I can get commercially stored golden russets, please post it.
• 15 Oct 2016  BC, Canada

  A pleasant but not intense apple. Crisp, slightly thick skin. Bought at the UBC Apple Festival, mid Oct 2016. Flavour might become more complex with keeping??
• 18 Sep 2016  BRITISH COLUMBIA, Canada

  This year 2016 my 8 year old, semi-dwarf GR tree is loaded! Lots of thinning out done. I had mistakenly planted and trained this tree as a cordon - wrong! It is a tip-bearer and therefore not suitable. As an ex-Brit of advancing years when we were young we could buy russet apples at local grocery stores in the UK. I bought russet apples because I loved tasting the nutty flavours. The GR is American but it rivals those I used to eat in the UK. My problem living in Squamish British Columbia Canada is how long to leave the apples to fully ripen on the trees or should I pick them early since black bears frequent the neighbourhood during fruit picking season and they are rather partial to fully ripe fruit!
• 02 Dec 2014  WEST BARNSTABLE, United States

  Golden russet is absolutely my favorite apple. When describing them to someone who has never tasted one, my stock phrase is "like eating spiced cider". They have an amazingly high sugar content, although you might not be aware of that by just eating them due to the richness of flavor.
• 16 Nov 2013  QUEBEC, Canada

  Quebec russet apples have been a traditional choice in our family since the early 1900s, but the search for them in West Quebec stores has become harder each year. I don't know what cultivar local orchards sold in the past, but the golden russet has become our go-to in the past decade. It's a crying shame that Canadians west of Manitoba are completely ignorant of this wonderful heritage apple. After almost 10 years in the West I was happy and relieved to return to Quebec and to my favourite apple.
• 31 Oct 2013  PA, United States

  This is, hands-down, my favorite apple of all time and I've tried many, many varieties. I used to get them in Portland, Or at New Seasons Market, but now that I live in Pittsburgh I haven't yet found them again. Highly recommend you try these if ever you see them.
• 29 Oct 2012  ILLINOIS, United States

  Great apple. Fruit hangs very well on the tree. In fact last year I picked some on New Years Day.
• 09 Sep 2012  WASHINGTON, United States

  What a wonderful apple! The tree's branches are pretty spindly and straggly but the fruit is sweet and crisp and I have had no trouble with it so far despite the frequent wet springs.
• 12 Oct 2011  MA, United States

  This variety is delicious:I wish people knew more than the handful of varieties sold at the supermarket. To say they're missing out is an understatement.
• 23 Sep 2011  Pennsylvania (south-central), United States

  Thanks for the 31 Aug post. Once I get mine in the ground March 2012, will watch of signs of flowers and start spraying with Bordeaux spray before and while it flowers. Had the same issue with my Calville Blanc this year but sprayed and made it through the summer with additional healthy growth.
• 31 Aug 2011  NW VA, United States

  Tried growing one here in VA and it got fireblight the first time it bloomed and wiped it out in what seemed like days. Tasty apple, though.
• 09 Aug 2011  MA, United States

  One of my favorite apples. A very dense apple with an amazingly intense sweet-tart flavor. The apples tend to be small. Hard to find, but worth the effort.
• 09 Mar 2011  WASHINGTON, United States

  I located some of these apple about 200 miles from my home (along with others) and tasted them. Golden Russet is a revelation! I typically prefer a tart apple; this has become my favorite sweet apple. Will find a way to graft this into one of my trees at home.

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• United States111
• United Kingdom7
• Netherlands 1
• Portugal 1
• Canada9
• New Zealand1

Where to buy trees

The following tree nurseries offer Golden Russet apple trees for sale:

• Orange Pippin Fruit Trees (USA) United States
  Golden Russet apple trees

Where to buy fresh fruit

The following orchards grow Golden Russet:

United States

• California

  • The Apple Farm -- Bates & Schmitt, Philo

• Colorado

  • Gott Bro's Orchard & Produce, L.L.C., Ignacio

• Connecticut

  • Seek No Further Orchard, Hebron

• Illinois

  • Jefferies Orchard, Springfield
  • Valley Orchard, Cherry Valley

• Indiana

  • Bright Meadows Orchard, Lawrenceburg
  • Chandler's Farm, Fillmore
  • Ditzler Orchard, Rosedale
  • Doud's Countyline Orchard, Wabash
  • Radke's Orchards, Michigan City

• Iowa

  • Berry Patch Farm, Nevada
  • Wilson's Orchard, Iowa City

• Kansas

  • Fieldstone Enterprise, Overbrook

• Kentucky

  • Reed Valley Orchard, Paris

• Maine

  • Hope Orchards, Hope
  • Plowshares Community Farm, Gorham
  • Shalom Organic Orchard & Winery, Franklin
  • Tiny Orchards, Saco

• Massachusetts

  • Autumn Hill Orchards, Groton
  • Brook Farm Orchard, Ashfield
  • Hilltop Orchards, Richmond
  • Keown Orchard, Sutton

• Michigan

  • Alber's Orchard & Cider Mill, Manchester

• Minnesota

  • Fischer's Croix Farm Orchard, Hastings
  • Sweetland Orchard, Webster

• Montana

  • Big Mountain Fruitworks / Big Mountain Ciderworks, Kalispell

• New Hampshire

  • Apple Annie, Brentwood
  • Old Ciderpress Farm, Westmoreland
  • Stone Brook Hill Farm, Gilford

• New York

  • Black Diamond Farm, Trumansburg
  • Canton Apples, Canton
  • Windy Hill Orchard & Farm Market, Cassville

• Oregon

  • Territorial Road Orchard, Corvallis
  • B&P Hitz Fruit Farm, Woodburn

• Pennsylvania

  • Holy Root Farm, New Tripoli
  • Rocky Ridge Orchards, Kane

• Washington

  • Piper's Orchard, Seattle
  • Skipley Farm, Snohomish        *** Feature Orchard ***

• Wisconsin

  • Door Creek Orchard, Cottage Grove

Canada

• British Columbia

  • Apple Lane Orchards, Denman Island
  • Fruit Forest Certified Organic Farm, Cobble Hill
  • Ravenskill Orchards, Gabriola Island
  • Salt Spring Apple Company, Salt Spring Island
  • Starry Night Meadows Farm, Mayne Island

• Nova Scotia

  • Elderkin's Farm Market, Greenwich

• Ontario

  • Dixie Orchards, Caledon
  • Juicy-Fruit Orchards, Thedford
  • Organics Farm, Markham
  • Waddell Apples, Kingston

• Quebec

  • Les Vergers de la Colline, Ste-Cécile de Milton

References

• Apples of England (1948)
  Author: Taylor
• Some Antique Apples for Modern Orchards, (2008)
  Author: Merwin I.A.