Ginger Gold is a yellow

apple An apple is a round, edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus'' spp.). Fruit trees of the orchard or domestic apple (''Malus domestica''), the most widely grown in the genus, are agriculture, cultivated worldwide. The tree originated ...

variety which entered commerce in the 1980s, though the original seedling dates from the late 1960s. According to the US Apple Association website, , it was one of the fifteen most popular apple cultivars in the United States.

Characteristics

Ginger Gold is one of the earliest commercial apple varieties to ripen, bearing in August on the east coast (mid-July in North Carolina) and July in California. The fruit is large, conical and starts out a very pale green, though if left on the tree will ripen to a soft yellow with a slightly waxy appearance. The primary use is for eating out of hand, though it can be used for most other purposes. The flesh, of a cream color, resists browning more than most varieties. The flavor is mild but with a tart finish. In a 1995 evaluation, the Virginia Extension Service held that "This is the best apple that we have evaluated that ripens before '

Gala Gala may refer to: Music * ''Gala'' (album), a 1990 album by the English alternative rock band Lush * Gala (singer), Italian singer and songwriter *'' Gala – The Collection'', a 2016 album by Sarah Brightman * GALA Choruses, an association of ...

'." The trees are very susceptible to

mildew Mildew is a form of fungus. It is distinguished from its closely related counterpart, mold, largely by its colour: molds appear in shades of black, blue, red, and green, whereas mildew is white. It appears as a thin, superficial growth consisti ...

History

Ginger Gold is famous as the apple that

Hurricane Camille Hurricane Camille was a powerful, deadly and destructive tropical cyclone which became the second most intense on record to strike the United States (behind the 1935 Labor Day hurricane) and is one of the four Category 5 hurricanes to make ...

brought forth. Camille brought devastating floods to

Nelson County, Virginia Nelson County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,775. Its county seat is Lovingston. Nelson County is part of the Charlottesville, VA, Metropolitan Statist ...

in 1969, and the orchards of Clyde and Frances "Ginger" Harvey were badly washed out. In recovering the few surviving trees around the edge of one Winesap orchard, another tree was found which Clyde Harvey recognized as being different. It was planted with the rest, but was found to produce yellow rather than red fruit. An extension agent identified the parents as

Golden Delicious Golden Delicious is a cultivar of apple. It is one of the 15 most popular apple cultivars in the United States. It is not closely related to Red Delicious. History Golden Delicious arose from a chance seedling, possibly a hybrid of Grimes ...

, Albemarle Pippin, and some other unknown variety. The variety was eventually named after Clyde Harvey's wife. During the 21st century, this has become an increasingly popular variety. It is the first yellow apple to ripen in the fall, and the quality and consistency of its bearing have suited it to commercial growing. In January 2007, the

Virginia General Assembly The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the oldest continuous law-making body in the Western Hemisphere, and the first elected legislative assembly in the New World. It was established on July 30, ...

proposed a bill designating the Ginger Gold Apple as the official fruit of Virginia. The bill was tabled in committee in late January.Bill HB1837
from the Virginia General Assembly 2007 Session

References

{{Apples Apple cultivars Virginia culture American apples