Greendale

This variety was originated by the New York Experiment Station as a cross between McIntosh and Lodi. It was introduced for trial in 1938. As the name suggests, the skin is an attractive green that slowly changes to light greenish-yellow at maturity, somewhat like Lodi. In shape it resembles McIntosh. The flesh is fine textured, mild, and pleasant. Quality and firmness are good and it is desirable for both dessert and cooking. Some may consider it too mild or lacking in flavor for the best type of eating apple. It would be an ideal variety to extend the Lodi season on local markets with a good green apple in mid-August.

— Quentin B. Zielinski, Apple Varieties for Oregon (1964)

Greendale

Origin. Greendale originated from the cross, McIntosh x Lodi, made in 1924 (see Lodi). Montgomery, a parent of Lodi, is a grandparent of Greendale (see Montgomery). Greendale was the only seedling selected from 10 families of seedlings which grew when McIntosh was crossed with 10 different cultivars (240). The breeding record number was 2464, and the seedling number was Station 4793. Greendale was selected in 1936 from a population of 37 seedlings. It was introduced in 1938 (Table 2) without being fruited in a second test. It was named for the village of Greendale in Columbia County, New York. It was briefly described in the Register of New Fruit and Nut Varieties (31) and in the catalogs of the New York State Fruit Testing Association from 1938 to 1962.

Tree. The tree characteristics of Greendale are summarized in Table 5. The tree is large, vigorous, upright, spreading, tall, dense, round-topped, and moderately productive. Trees are moderately late in coming into bearing (Table 5) but they bear annually. Greendale trees are very hardy; in a study of the behavior of 200 apple cultivars following a severe freeze in Kansas in November 1940, Greendale trees made 90 per cent recovery (179). The trunks of Greendale trees are moderately stocky. The trunk bark is somewhat smooth, brown, tinged red, and has heavy, gray scarfskin. The branchlets are slender, short, and glaborous.

The leaves are numerous, medium in size, wide, of medium length, oval, taper-pointed, of medium thickness, and rugose. They are dark green, pubescent on the under side, and their margins are crenate; i.e., the points of the toothed edge are rounded. The leaf petiole is medium in length, slender, and pubescent.

Greendale blooms early, more than 2 days before Delicious (Table 6). It is diploid (Table 4) and its pollen is viable.

Fruit. Greendale fruits are illustrated in Figure 11 and the fruit characteristics are summarized in Table 8. The average ripening date at Geneva is August 20, 7½ weeks before Delicious (Table 7). The average number of days from full bloom to harvest is 96, 49 less than Delicious. The fruits adhere to the tree fairly well after maturity. They are large, mostly 3 inches in diameter, round-oblate, ribbed, and irregular. The stem is of medium length, rather slender, but very thick at the end which has been attached to the spur. The cavity is acute, medium in depth and width, russeted, and symmetrical. The calyx is slightly open and small. The calyx lobes are short, narrow, and acute. The basin is shallow, narrow, obtuse, and very slightly compressed.

The skin is thin, tender, and smooth. The skin color is pale green, changing to light yellow as the fruits become overripe. The dots are numerous, small, conspicuous, depressed, and light brown. The calyx tube is short, narrow, and conical. The stamens are in a median location. The core is medium sized and very open. The carpels are ovate. The seeds are medium sized, wide, plump, and acute. The flesh is nearly white, semifirm, medium grained, tender, somewhat juicy, subacid, aromatic, and good in flavor. The estimated storage life at 31°F is rather short, about 25 days (Table 10). The fruits shrivel in storage. Since Greendale ripens early, it is not generally held in storage for extended periods but is marketed soon after harvest. Greendale is not a good processor (Table 9).

Pests. In a study of the susceptibility of apple cultivars to powdery mildew in Germany (190), Greendale was found to be resistant or only slightly attacked.

Commercial Usefulness. Trees of Greendale were sold by the New York State Fruit Testing Association for 25 years, 1938-62 (Table 2). In the 1960-68 period, Greendale trees were sold by only one commercial nursery (Table 3).

In 1954, Greendale was tested at the experiment station in Massachusetts (186). In 1963, a survey of apple clones in the United States showed that it was then tested at stations in New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming (79). In 1968 (184), it was tested at stations in Kansas, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Vermont.

In Georgia (244), Greendale had fair quality if harvested when the color broke into yellow. Trees became biennial when they were allowed to overcrop.

In 1955, Greendale was suggested for planting in Pennsylvania (50).

In 1958, Greendale was listed as a new summer apple for home and garden in Oregon (247).

Because of its green color and soft flesh, Greendale never became a widely grown cultivar. It is not recommended for planting.

— Roger D. Way, Apple Cultivars Introduced by the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, 1914–1968 (1971)