Red Astrachan
{{Short description|Apple cultivar}}
{{Infobox cultivar
| name = 'Red Astrachan' apple
| image = Red_astrachan.jpg
| hybrid =
| cultivar = 'Red Astrachan'
| origin = Russia or Sweden
}}
Red Astrachan is a cultivar of domesticated apple of either Russian or Swedish origin, which is an early season apple, juicy, tart and mealy texture with pleasant flavour, and use for eating, cooking and cider. It is medium-sized, crimson colored. As all the early season apples, it is not good for storage.[http://www.orangepippin.com/apples/red-astrachan Red Astrachan] at Orange Pippin It is known by several other names including 'Abe Lincoln', 'American Red', and 'Waterloo'.[http://www.nationalfruitcollection.org.uk/full2.php?id=4997&&fruit=apple National Fruit Collection page]
- Typical size: width 77 mm, height 61 mm, stalk 18-31 mm.Warder, American PomologyDowning, Fruits and Fruit-Trees of America, 1885{{citation |author1=Beach, S.A. |author2=Booth, N.O. |author3=Taylor, O.M. |year=1905 |title=The apples of New York |publisher=J. B. Lyon |location=Albany |chapter-url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/56421#page/304/mode/1up |chapter=Red Astrachan |volume=1 |pages=178–180}}
- Tree vigorous, upright, productive, hardy.
- Flesh white often tinged with red, crisp, tender, juicy, aromatic, subacid.
Growing tips
This cultivar needs rich soil,[http://www.backyardgardener.com/plantname/pda_8280.html Back Yard Gardener] moderate watering, good drainage, big spacing and full sun. Needs pruning. Susceptical to apple scab, fireblight, frost, apple rust disease, black rot, bitter rot and pests. This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and birds. Flowers are fragrant.[http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/122061/#ixzz3NPOxwdPA Dave's Garden]
| class="wikitable"
|+ Red AstrachanStark Nurseries, Catalog, 1917 | |||
| ---- | When to pick | When ripe enough to eat | Latest cold storage limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| In Northern states | July 22 - Aug. 15 | July 30 - Sept. 3 | Sept. 20 |
| In Southern States | July 17 - Aug. 15 | July 23 - Aug. 3 | Sept. 1 |
History
The Red Astrachan as recorded in the 1870s was a dark-red apple; a variant, the Summer King, was "a bright scarlet".Biennial Report - Volume 8 - Page 116 Kansas State Horticultural Society - 1879 - "Their External and Internal Comparison. — The Red Astrachan is a dark-red apple; the Summer King is a bright scarlet. The Red Astrachan is of medium size or over, and usually of conical shape; the Summer King is also of full medium. size, ."
References
{{commons category|Red Astrachan (apple)}}
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