PlantFiles: Apple
Malus x domestica 'Yellow Transparent'

I have three mature yellow transparent apple trees in my orchard of about 30 trees. At first (we moved here 4 years ago) I thought they were awful as they came on early- and before I knew it they were full of bruises and wasps and on the ground. The ones on the tree were too sour, so I hardly did anything with them the first year. Then I asked around with the older people in town and found out that they are for sauce and pies and are divine for those uses. The best piece of advice I got was to use the ones that have fallen from the tree. Check every morning and get rid of the bad windfalls daily. They are extremely perishable and therefore you will not find them for sale in the store, but if you wait until they fall or are almost ready to fall, the apples are not just tart, but full of flavor. The skins are so tender that I do not peel them for making pies or for drying. I lightly steam them before running them through a strainer for making sauce. I made 21 quarts of sauce today and one delicious pie! I am so glad I have 3 of those trees.

This tree is a big waste of space in my growing area. Apples go from sour and unpleasant to mush overnight. At no stage is the flavor or texture any good.

The tree is extremely prolific, always covered in fruit. The fruit is very early for an apple. The tree seems to be cold hardy, even the blooms. (zone 5 with lots of late season freezing)

I cook the apples into my dog's food. They'd probably be good for feeding hogs.

I am learning to graft so I can top work the tree and not lose all the years I have invested in it.

I hear this tree called a good tree for applesauce. How much apple sauce can you eat? Surely there is a sauce apple that is also good to eat fresh and/ or to cook with, because, believe me, it sure isn't this one.

Very early harvest apple - end of July beginning of August in my area. These make wonderful pies, sauce, and butter.

Also known as: Early Transparent, Russian Transparent.

One of many old Southern apples of Russian origin brought into this country in 1870 by the USDA. Resistant to cedar apple rust and scab and can be grown in all areas of the South including the warmer coastal plain. Fruit is medium sized with smooth transparent yellow skin. White-fleshed, tender, fine-grained and juicy. Ripens early in June to July.