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Variety Spotlight - GoldRush

GoldRush (or Gold Rush; Goldrush) very well lives up to its name: It may even be worth its weight in the coveted medal. Although originating out of collaboration between multiple agricultural experiment stations, the GoldRush apple traces its heritage back to the Purdue Horticulture Research Farm in Indiana in 1973. Of Golden Delicious and Rome Beauty parentage, although many other apples had their influence in there too, this fantastic desert apple is considered to be a heritage variety and is noted for its superb "keeping" ability. The name, GoldRush, was intended to evoke both the color of the skin as well as the rush of sweetness one gets when biting into the fruit.

Like its parents, GoldRush can typically be spotted with a rose-colored blush on one side of the apple. The blush comes from where the sun has kissed it a bit longer... almost a suntan for the otherwise yellow hue of its skin. That skin also holds up well to the brown marmorated stink bug, a pest which can be particularly troublesome for apple growers in Connecticut.

As a cider apple, as mentioned in our feature on the Liberty Apple, GoldRush falls into the sharps category. This attribution is primarily due to the high acid content of the apple. But the tannic quality of the skins can also add an additional layer of complexity, both on the palate as a dessert apple but also in ciders: Often the qualities are described as notes of citrus with a subtle spiciness.

In Connecticut, GoldRush are not as common of a crop despite being very suitable for growing in these zones. Orchards of note include Autumn Harvest Orchard, LLC in Norfolk and Staehly Farms in East Haddam, both of which grow the apple as of the time of writing.

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