Peter Gideon is best known as the originator of Wealthy, one of the most famous of all American apple varieties. Though much less well known, Gideon has its fair share of fans.
The large conic beautiful bright yellow rose-blushed summer apple was first introduced to us many years ago by Tom Roberts, who was then sharing Peacemeal Farm in Dixmont, Maine, with the ancient tree. Tom said the fruit “produced heavily on an almost completely ignored tree that was in decline through age, rotten wood, etc. It grows in the open on a sunny knoll in a field, and produced a majority of very good looking apples with no care whatsoever…a sweet juicy eating apple, and”wonderful for sauce.”
Daryl Hunter of New Brunswick wrote to us: “One of the heritage varieties that I’d never part with is Gideon, with its delicate skin and its very juicy, pear-flavored flesh””
Ripens a bit before Red Astrachan, toward the end of August in central Maine. Use them up quickly—they don’t keep. Seldom any scab. Blooms early. Z3.
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