Crab apple

[WVMountaineerJack]

Using many different apples always sounds like a good idea but if they are not a balanced mix with acid and sweet and some tannins in them, like if you just made it from dessert apples it wouldnt matter how many different kinds you used, they are still dessert apples. Do you guys toss in some crabs with your other apples? WVMJ

 

[ckvchestnut]

Yes always! It's about 50% crab (2 different cultivars don't ask which) to 45% eating apples which I also don't know which but they are like a cortland, similar and 15% other eating apples which are a mix between golden delicious, red delicious, northern spy, and a few others - can't remember off the top of my head they are from 5 in 1 trees.

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

Sounds great, are you guys growing the 5 in 1 trees? I was thinking about making one of those, did one of the varities take over or are they all pretty much getting along well? WVMJ

 

[ckvchestnut]

I bought them as is because I'm not that experienced at grafting. The other varieties are grafted onto the northern spy rootstock. So far everything is growing evenly. Last fall they got a semi decent pruning. I bought them as 3 or 4 year old trees that bore fruit that first year and they are now about 12 years old. Each grafting was done like a major limb on the rootstock and I think most of the spy branches may have been removed to give the others a good chance to grow before it sprouts more of its own branches. I'll take a picture next spring or summer!

 

[Rice_Guy]

I have 4 gallons of crab apple and 5 gallons of regular apple. What's a blending ratio that anyone has had success with?

Was wondering what ratio you wound up with?
Am trying bench trials with crabapple juice and a high TA (bad) white grape wine. So far 1:5 tastes good, without overwhelming bitter notes, AND the grape wine is actually good now, , , 1:1 is next but I see that I am diluting the wine which changes everything.
*****************
1:1 has a flavor like cranberry, not grape
1:3 will ask the wife tonight(my taste panel)

Crabapple test juice= 1.092 gravity, pH 3.16, TA 2.07% (as tartaric) long bitter notes.

 

[Hokapsig]

actually, I'm trying to remember what we did with these wines..... I think we ended up adding these to our mulled wine.