Melrose and Mutsu apples are two widely grown apples for home orchards.

Melrose Apple

Melrose apple is the official apple for the state of Ohio.. It is a cross between Jonathan and Red Delicious. Introduced in 1914, it was on pomologist’s Robert Nitsche’s Baker’s Dozen List of the best apple varieties.

My copy of Sunset’s Western Gardening says it is “considered one of the best.” The tree has some resistance to mildew. It is vigorous and very reliable.

This is an upright, very large, spreading tree. The plant is very fruitful and begins bearing when very young.

This apple is larger than Jonathan and keeps better. It has a rich Jonathan-like flavor. This outstanding variety stores well—until May. The fruit ripens from mid October into November.

Melrose apple is a large to medium fruit that is conical to flattish-round. The greenish-yellow skin can have streaks, blushes, or stripes of red along with reddish-black russet spots.

This apple has firm, juicy, creamy white flesh. It has a rich, aromatic, slightly acid taste. Melrose apple makes a great dessert apple and is also perfect for caramel apples.

Mutsu Apple

Mutsu apple is known as Crispin in the UK and New York. This was bred in Japan. The tree was a cross between Golden Delicious and the Japanese variety called Indo.

This apple ripens in late September in warm regions and in mid to late October in the North. This is a late maturing variety, so it is not suitable for areas with a short growing season.

It matures two to three weeks after Red Delicious. This is widely grown for processing. It is also recommended for fresh local roadside stands.

This tree needs a pollen source in order to bear fruits. It can’t be used to pollinate other apple varieties. The tree blooms the same time as Red Delicious.

Mutsu apple was on Robert Nitschke’s Baker’s Dozen list of the best apple varieties. It is resistant to russeting

Introduced in the late 1940’s, this apple is a very popular variety and one of the best for long term storage. Even with long storage periods, this apple will not shrivel. The fruit is also resistant to most kinds of injury. However, these apples can get bitter pit.

Mutsu apple has won many taste test events in the Northwest. It has been described as “absolutely outstanding dessert quality.” Yet, at the same time it is a dual purpose apple because it is perfect for processing and fresh local sales.

This is a very large to large apple—larger than Golden Delicious. It is a yellow-green fruit with firm, crisp, juicy, white to white-yellow, coarse flesh. Mutsu apple has a unique spicy flavor that is anise-like. It is described as refreshing with a taste somewhat like a Golden Delicious apple, but has more tartness than that found in the Golden Delicious.

The skin is gold all over with some orange on the skin with a red blush. This apple is great for pies and baked goods as well as applesauce and for cooking. In addition Mutsu is perfect for cider.