Wickson Crab

A cross of Spitzenburg Crab x Newtown from Humboldt County, CA, 1944, Wickson was introduced by the unsung and generally unknown Albert Etter, one of the great 20th century plant breeders. His legendary Fairfax strawberry is often considered to be the best-flavored strawberry and is one of the parents of the beloved Sparkle. Etter liked to use unusual apples in his breeding program and, even in the era of DNA profiling, the parentage of many of his introductions remain a mystery, as it is with Wickson. No one seems to know where there might still be a Spitzenburg Crab and his ‘Newtown’ refers to no known cultivar. Recent DNA profiling of Wickson shows that Newtown Pippin is not one of the parents.

Wickson is recommended for dessert, juice, and as a “sharp” acid source in fermented cider. It has a scrumptious, bold flavor that is way bigger than its size.  Cammy can't get enough of them.  She would be happy with an entire orchard of Wickson trees.  At Cider Days a few years ago we tried a single-varietal Wickson hard cider made by the Oregon cider maker, Wandering Aengus (www.wanderingaengus.com), that knocked our socks off.  Give it a try if you find yourself in the Pacific Northwest. You might not even notice the rain.