fuel service

Fuel Service is a bittersweet fruit with good cider potential. Cammy and I discovered the small 30-40 year-old roadside seedling on a fruit exploring mission in the fall of 2015 with our friends John and Annette Lee. We saw the tree growing amongst a tangle of trees and brush at the side of the yard next to Gary's Fuel Service; it was loaded with small, yellow fruit so we had to stop and take a bite or two.

The small yellow fruit (4.7 - 5.3 cm/1 7/8- 2 1/8”) is roundish-truncate-irregular, sometimes with a faint blush, with a small, shallow cavity and a medium-wide, medium-deep, abrupt basin. The moderately bitter flesh is medium juicy, medium crisp and high in tannins. It begins to oxidize moments after cutting or grinding. We pick between October 15 and 25 and like how it does in cider. It has become one of our favorite cider apples. The DNA profile has not revealed any known ancestry. We obtained our scionwood from the tree at Gary’s in 2016 and had our first sizable crop in 2021. Currently growing at Super Chilly Farm. Fuel up with Fuel Service!