frostproof

Frostproof is an American bittersweet apple that was selected for its very late leafing out and flowering with the hope of avoiding late spring frosts. (Hence the name.) The tree leafs out so late that every year we think it’s dead. (We have three cultivars that leaf out after every other apple: Frostproof, Doux Normandie and Beach Hill Bitter.) Frostproof was discovered 1930 and released in 1947 by Max Bazzanella Nursery, in Mineral, Virginia. Because it originated in the South, it may not be hardy in northern districts, although ours has shown no dieback, and we’ve had it nine years.

I don’t think the folks who introduced it were thinking cider, but for us it’s been a pleasant surprise. It’s bitter, astringent, and low in acid. The fruit itself is small-medium, round-conic and flat-topped, about 3/4 brownish-gray russet and about 1/4 rich olive green. It’s described as unattractive, but I think it’s beautiful. The basin is medium in width and depth and very distinctive in its abruptness. It’s said to be biennial and unproductive. We don’t have enough experience yet to confirm or refute that observation. We pick and press ours in late October or early November. The fruit is shriveled up by Christmas. We obtained our scionwood from the USDA (PI 589182). Currently growing at Super Chilly Farm.