Sweet Russet

Origin/History

Origin unknown. The variety was at one time disseminated by Parsons & Co., Flushing, Long Island, New York. Multiple distinct varieties have been cultivated under the name Sweet Russet. Downing (1900) describes three separate varieties under this name: the primary one received from Parsons, a second grown in Massachusetts, New York, and elsewhere, and a third from Kentucky. Beach (1905) provides separate entries in both volumes — Vol. 2 for the Parsons variety with tree and fruit details, and Vol. 1 for the Massachusetts/New York variety, noting "We do not know this variety and we have no report of its being grown anywhere in New York at the present time." Beach (Vol. 2) also notes that the name Sweet Russet has been applied to the variety described separately as Pumpkin Russet.

Tree

Large, spreading and drooping, a moderately vigorous grower, hardy, long-lived, and usually a reliable cropper yielding good crops biennially (Beach Vol. 2). Productive (Downing). Young wood reddish olive (Downing). Downing calls it "a nice little apple."

Fruit

Size: Small (Downing, Beach Vol. 2). Warder describes it as medium.

Form: Roundish, inclining to conic, sometimes oblate (Downing). Roundish or oblate (Beach Vol. 2). Conical, uneven (Warder).

Stem: Slender (Downing). Short (Warder).

Cavity: Wide, wavy (Warder). Not described by other sources.

Calyx: Closed.

Eye: Small, closed (Warder).

Basin: Shallow, folded (Warder). Not described by other sources.

Skin: Yellow, mostly covered with light russet, and sprinkled with brown russet dots, with a tinge of red in the sun (Downing). Beach (Vol. 2) agrees: yellow, mostly covered with light russet, tinged with red in the sun. Warder describes the surface as yellow with thin russet, with dots numerous, small, and prominent.

Flesh/Flavor: Whitish, crisp, very tender, juicy, rich, sweet, aromatic; very good (Downing). Juicy, sweet, very good (Beach Vol. 2). Warder describes the flesh as yellow, tender, fine-grained, juicy, with sweet flavor; quality good to very good. S. B. Parsons of Flushing, Long Island, considered it the best baking apple (Warder). Note: Downing describes the flesh color as whitish; Warder as yellow.

Core/Seeds: Core oval, open, clasping the eye. Seeds plump (Warder). Not described by other sources.

Season

September (Downing). September and October (Beach Vol. 2). August (Warder).

Uses

Baking (Warder). S. B. Parsons considered it the best baking apple (Warder).

Subtypes/Variants

Second Sweet Russet (Massachusetts/New York/elsewhere): Tree an upright, spreading grower, productive. Good for cooking. Fruit medium, oblate, yellow, mostly covered with nettings and patches of russet. Flesh whitish, half tender, rich, sweet. Good. Season November to March (Downing). Beach (Vol. 1) repeats this description, adding that it is a good apple for culinary use and noting that by 1905 it was not known to be grown anywhere in New York.

Third Sweet Russet (Kentucky): Attributed by Downing to Warder. Fruit small, conical, truncated, rough, dark russet. Dots minute, white, prominent. Flesh yellowish white, fine-grained, not tender, sweet. Scarcely good. Season December to February (Downing).

[NOTE: Downing attributes this third variety to Warder's description, but Warder's own 1867 text describes a medium, conical fruit with thin (not dark) russet, yellow flesh, sweet flavor rated good to very good, and an August season — details that align more closely with Downing's first (Parsons) variety than with this Kentucky variant. The Kentucky attribution may reflect a separate communication from Warder or editorial confusion in Downing's compilation.]