Frostbite Vs. Wickson Smackdown

This head-to-head became inevitable the minute I rootage tasted malty Frostbite. Wickson has some similar flavors together with qualities, together with both brand weighty historical claims.

One affair that powerfulness non live obvious from my photograph is that these apples are both small. Frostbite is close two inches inward diameter, together with Wickson is a large crabapple.

But which is best?

Frostbite, known for threescore years exactly every bit MN-447, was constitute growing inward the breeding orchard at the University of Minnesota. Only inward the belatedly oughts did UMinn attain upwards one's heed to truly marketplace this variety, which it does, tepidly.

The Frostbite tree tin plough over the axe hold out temperatures every bit depression every bit 40° below 0, Fahrenheit; thence the name. It is likewise delectable.

Wickson was created inward the rootage one-half of the 20th Century inward California past times chief breeder Albert Etter. It is named for some other distinguished figure inward California fruit, E.J. Wickson. I plough over it 3 stars.

Frostbite, every bit seen here, is oblate, alongside barely detectable ribbing together with a streaky crimson blush flowing roughly small-scale tan lenticel dots. Its unblushed tegument is lite yellow.

Wickson is smaller together with rounder, together with its yellowish peel, long, sparse stem, together with orange-red blush advise (to me anyway) an oversized Rainier cherry.

Frostbite is breaking crisp, its juicy, medium-coarse flesh (light yellow) delivering an immediate hitting of sweet malt that yields to some fruity flavors exactly to return, a bit, inward the finish.

And, although I did non divulge it inward my review sample, the terminate of the complete includes some savory season that, when combined alongside the sweetness together with rangy malt accent, suggests molasses.

Wickson's flesh is similar, perchance a petty to a greater extent than fine grained but essentially these apples could live brothers beneath the peel.

It is the tastier apple, delivering to a greater extent than malt, to a greater extent than sugar, together with plenty additional tartness to proceed that on an fifty-fifty keel.

The malt is to a greater extent than clearly defined, together with does non truly plough over agency to anything else, but at that topographic point is an solely complementary spicy quality every bit well.

It is likewise the crunchier of the pair, together with that is proverb a lot.

In comparison, Frostbite seems less intense together with flavorful, though to a greater extent than traditionally fruity.

If you lot read reviews you lot volition divulge people who strain to locate flavors that others divulge inward Frostbite, such every bit molasses. They are acquaint but tin plough over the axe play hard to get.

By contrast, petty Wickson's neat malty sweetness compaction is hard to miss.

These are both real good, together with Frostbite's parade of flavors is peculiarly interesting.

Wickson, however, is outstanding.

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