Of all the apples in the fruit garden, Karmijn is the highest in both sugars and acids. It has an amazing complex flavor and is the favorite of many people. We have an entire row of trees of this great variety. The fruit ripens in mid-October and its intense flavor mellows after a month of storage.
(Located E2, N6 through U6, Planted 1994)
Karmijn de Sonneville was raised by Piet de Sonneville, an apple enthusiast who had previously worked at the well-respected horticultural research school of the University of Wageningen in the Netherlands. Starting in 1949 he created numerous crosses, primarily using Cox and Jonathan, along with many others. Karmijn de Sonneville is his most well-known creation, a Cox-style variety, but with a distinctly more pronounced aromatic flavor. Cox’s Orange Pippin is the female parent and the pollen parent is Jonathan. It is a triploid variety, and not able to pollinate other apple varieties. Despite the English Cox ancestry, Karmijn de Sonneville grows best in warmer drier climates – like Jonathan. It does very well in the northern and central states of the USA, and has the potential for very good flavor. It is a favorite of the WWFRF member and makes an incredible pie. Most members say it improves in flavor when stored for at least 2 weeks after picking.
Fruit garden volunteer Bill Davis who planted many of our heritage apples, considers Karmijn to be our best tasting apple.
