Vanilla Pink Scion, Grenadine x Gold Rush Seedling (#11)

Vanilla Pink is a Grenadine x Gold Rush cross, made in 2011. Auction is for the scion pictured, approximate diameter 1/4"

The performance of this apple has been a bit mixed, but it has a special flavor characteristic that makes me usually want to finish one when I bite into it.  In appearance it can be very similar to Grenadine. The translucent yellow skin turns pink as the flesh color develops and shows through.  It can also have Grenadine’s large speckles.  Inside, the flesh can be a striking neon pink color, sometimes solid, sometimes mottled.  The photo here doesn't really do it justice. Like many Grenadine seedlings, this one shows some improvement over that parent in most departments.  It still has a fair bit of tannin in the skin and the texture tends toward grainy and does not hold up to over ripening or storage.

The good news is in the flavor.  It does have some of the complex fruit and berry type flavors typical of red fleshed apples and abundant in Grenadine.  Although not as strongly flavored usually as Grenadine or Appleoosa, those flavors are definitely present and a big part of the apple’s appeal.  But these high aromatic fruit flavors are laid over a vanilla-like, sweet candy type of background, which is an interesting effect.  It reminds me of cloyingly sweet candies, like candy corn and circus peanuts, but with the aromatic fruit flavors over the top.  That background flavor is pretty unique in my experience and it has been fairly consistent over the years.  I wish I could find that flavor trait in another apple.  I’d like to pursue it as a breeding project.  I primarily see this as a stepping stone apple toward more improved red fleshed apples. 

Vanilla Pink is a very tasty apple, in spite of a few flaws inherited from its parent Grenadine, but it is probably also improved in all of those departments.  The bottom line is that it meets my main criteria- when I bite into one, I usually want to finish it.  I fed one to my Nephew and he caught the "vanilla" thing immediately and really liked it.  We see a lot of variation if flesh color in RF apples, and this one is an exciting vibrant pink.  I'm quite sure a lot of people will really enjoy eating these, and that if used in breeding, it will result in something special, if not in the first generation then in subsequent ones.  I'm crossing it with higher quality red flesh apples, and hoping to find other apples with this candy-like flavor quality to cross it with in hopes of reinforcing that.  RF apples are difficult to breed, as there are still a lot of primitive traits lurking in them.  This is a great stepping stone that should still provide a lot of enjoyable eating and baking on our way to superlative RF dessert apples.

I have several seedling varieties available on auction this year.  Sugarwood, Appleoosa, January Russet, Hard Candy Cider, Vanilla Pink and Tomboy.  All have made appearances over the years in content on my YouTube SkillCult channel.  Auctions are 5 days long, and will end 3 minutes apart in succession late Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th.  If you win it, pay for it, otherwise, all is fair in love and auctions ;)  Proceeds mostly go to my land fund so I can buy a new homestead laboratory to keep breeding apples and carrying out other horticulture and self reliance educational and research projects.

Shipping to U.S. addresses only.  Shipping on multiple scions should combine into one charge once all auctions are over, so if you are bidding on more than one auction, please wait to pay until they are all over so that shipping will combine.