Green Sweet

Origin/History

An old variety of uncertain origin. It was already well known and much cultivated in Northeastern Massachusetts in the first half of the nineteenth century, and has long been highly esteemed in Central and Western New York. Thomas notes its origin as Massachusetts.

The Sweet Greening of Thacher (1822) or Green Sweeting of Kenrick (1832) is said to be distinct from this variety. A fall apple has been introduced from Russia under the same name, Green Sweet, but is a different variety.

Tree

Tree medium or sometimes large, vigorous or moderately vigorous, upright spreading, and productive. Branches moderately stout; young branches dark green. Form erect or roundish, rather compact. Twigs short, straight, stout; internodes short. Bark very dark brown, mingled with reddish-brown, lightly streaked with scarf-skin; pubescent near tips. Lenticels numerous, medium, oblong, slightly raised, rather conspicuous. Buds large, plump, broad, obtuse, free, slightly pubescent.

Elliott describes the shoots as rather slender and the habit as half spreading, and notes the tree is hardy and wants deep, rich, strong soil.

The tree is a good reliable cropper, bears biennially and yields so abundantly that the fruit commonly averages below medium or rather small, but it is perfect, smooth, bright, regular and uniform in size and shape with little loss from drops and culls (Beach). The apples are easily picked because the habit of the tree is upright and rather compact and it usually bears its fruit close to the branches or on short laterals or spurs. Green Sweet may be set more closely in the orchard than either Baldwin or Rhode Island Greening because it does not grow so large as either of these varieties and is decidedly more upright in habit (Beach). Warder notes the tree is vigorous and productive in most situations where cultivated, but is not much planted in the West.

Fruit

Size: Medium or often below medium, sometimes large (Beach). Thomas describes it as large or medium. Warder describes the fruit as rather small. Elliott describes it as medium to large.

Form: Ovate to roundish inclined to conic, sometimes obscurely ribbed; pretty regular and uniform in size (Beach). Downing describes it as roundish oblate, somewhat conic. Warder describes it as regular, usually flat, though sometimes conical. Thomas describes it as nearly round, slightly approaching ovate-conical, regular. Elliott describes the form as roundish. The fruit is always fair (Elliott).

Stem: Medium to rather long, slender to moderately thick (Beach). Downing describes the stalk as medium length. Warder describes the stem as long and stout. Thomas describes the stalk as about an inch long, moderately thick. Elliott notes the stem as varying.

Cavity: Somewhat furrowed, deep, acuminate, moderately broad, smooth or with some radiating russet rays (Beach). Downing describes the cavity as rather deep, covered with russet. Warder describes it as wide, regular and brown. Thomas describes it as rather small and narrow, round, acuminate. Elliott describes it as narrow, russeted.

Calyx: Medium to rather large, closed or somewhat open; lobes rather leafy, long, acute (Beach). Warder describes the eye as large, closed. Elliott describes the calyx as above medium size for the fruit, closed.

Basin: Variable, usually medium in width and depth, abrupt, slightly wrinkled and more or less obscurely furrowed (Beach). Downing describes the basin as shallow and abrupt, somewhat furrowed. Warder describes it as rather shallow and wavy. Thomas describes it as small, slightly furrowed.

Skin: Grass-green eventually becoming pretty yellow with a thin brownish-red blush in highly colored specimens. Dots green or with fine russet point, often submerged and whitish. Prevailing color green (Beach). Downing describes the skin as green, sometimes becoming a little yellow at maturity, covered with greenish or light russet dots. Warder describes the surface as smooth, green, with whitish dots with green bases. Thomas describes the surface as green with greenish white dots. Elliott describes the color as dull greenish white or yellow, with greenish white or sometimes pale russet dots. Elliott notes that grown in Indiana, the fruit has a brownish cheek.

Calyx Tube: Wide, cone-shape. Stamens median (Beach).

Flesh/Flavor: Greenish-white, tender, fine-grained, juicy, very sweet, good (Beach). Downing describes the flesh as whitish, tender, juicy, sweet, pleasant, and rates it Good. Warder describes the flesh as greenish-white, breaking, tender, juicy and fine grained; very sweet, and adds that "those who do not admire sweet apples would hardly consider it second rate." Thomas describes the flesh as greenish white, with a very sweet, spicy, good flavor. Elliott describes the flesh as greenish white, tender, juicy, and quite sweet.

A desirable late keeping apple excellent for either dessert or culinary use. It holds its flavor and remains crisp, brittle and juicy till spring. Often it is kept in common cellar storage till April or May. It is undoubtedly one of the best late keeping sweet apples in cultivation in New York (Beach). It is grown with profit for selling in local markets wherever it is well known, but it does not sell so readily in the general market because it is not large and not well known and because the trade demands chiefly red, subacid apples (Beach).

Core/Seeds: Core rather large, abaxile, open; core lines somewhat clasping or nearly meeting. Carpels roundish ovate. Seeds numerous, medium or below, rather narrow, acute (Beach). Warder describes the core as closed, regular, meeting the eye, containing numerous angular, acuminate brown seeds. Elliott describes the core as medium, round, with ovate seeds.

Season

December to April or May (Beach). Downing gives December to March. Warder gives December to February or March. Elliott gives December to March, but notes that grown in Indiana, it matures in October and November. Thomas describes it as a long keeper.

Uses

Valued for baking and market (Warder). Excellent for either dessert or culinary use (Beach). Elliott describes the fruit as valuable for cooking and for stock.

Subtypes/Variants

Not described in source.

Other

Description absent; variety present in variety-characteristic table.

From the Encyclopedia of Practical Horticulture (1914):

Green Sweet.............. M  rob  gy  G  b  W  3*  2*  .....