Grimes Golden Apples

Learn about a yellow apple that was around before the Golden Delicious and learn why it's not as popular today.

What are Grimes Golden Apples? A yellow skinned sweet apple variety that was once planted by real Johnny Appleseed. It's the parent of the modern Golden Delicious apple

I have always been a fan of yellow skinned apples as a kid and now as an adult I love them even more. One of my favorites is the Grimes Golden. Let me share with you the history of this apple and tell you how it tastes.

Jump to:

• 📜 History
• 🚜 When Are They Harvested?
• 👅 What Does It Taste Like
• 🛒 Where to Buy

📜 History

The story of Johnny Appleseed is often included with many tall tales of our country's frontier days. But unlike some of those fables, Johnny Appleseed was a real person. His real name was John Chapman. One of the seeds he planted was believed to have been Grimes Golden.

This variety was first found in West Virginia in the 1800s. It is named after it's "founder" Thomas Grimes.

This apple's biggest claim to fame is that it's believe to be one of the parents of one of the most popular apples in today's market - the Golden Delicious. They look very similar, one could easily mistaken them for each other.

🚜 When Are They Harvested?

The apples are normally harvested near the end of September. This is the ideal time for buying them. They are a good apple fresh off the tree.

👅 What Does It Taste Like

Here is my review of this apple. Categories are on a scale of 1-10.

Crispiness	7
Tartness	4
Flavor	7
Sweetness	7
Juiciness	7

When comparing this apple to it's offspring, hands down the Grimes Golden is the better apple. And it all comes down to taste. The flavor is more complex than the Delicious.

So why in the world is it not found everywhere like it's offspring? I think it has to do with the fact that it is more vulnerable to diseases than the Delicious. In the early 1900s when the Golden Delicious came on the scene, they didn't have the technology we have now to combat diseases. So I think this lead the Golden Delicious to become the dominant yellow apple on the market. Also contributing to Golden Delicious climb to the top of the yellow apple world is that the trees produce larger apples than Grimes Golden.

As for uses for Grimes Golden is one of the most multi purpose apples. It's great just slicing up and eating. It also holds it's own when baked and it can be good for making applesauce with. In both causes less sugar is needed and you might want to combine them with some apples that are more on the tart side to get that much sought after sweet/tart balance. The apple is also popular in cider making.

🛒 Where to Buy

This variety is one you are going to have to look for at a farmer's market or an orchard. The trees that produce this apple are productive every other year, which isn't good to be grow on large scale, plus they have a short shelf life.

• Johnston Fruit Farm (Swanton, OH)
• Door Creek Orchard (Cottage Grove, WI)
• Rittman Orchards (Doylestown, OH)
• Freeman Orchards (Hendersonville, NC)
• Tuttle Orchards (Greenfield, IN)
• County Line Orchards (Hobart, IN)
• Hidden Hollow (Louisville, KY)
• Campbell Orchard (Pawnee, IL)
• Anderson Orchard (Mooresville, IN)
• Hidden Gem Orchard (Southbury, CT)

Have you tried this apple? What did you think? Leave a comment below telling us. Be a helper and share where you found it. You may make someone's day with your insider info on where to get them! If you are a true apple lover, you'll want to check out all of our apple reviews.