The 'White Winter Taffeta Apple' has a shiny white fruit skin and is one of the old varieties. Once the crown has built up, it requires little maintenance.

An open location is ideal when growing the white winter taffy apple

The 'White Winter Taffeta Apple' stands out because of its yellowish-white skin. Such old varieties are particularly interesting for allergy sufferers, as they usually cause fewer problems. Due to its low maintenance requirements, the cultivation of the taffeta apple in the right location is relatively easy. If you offer it a sunny, open location on heavy soil, the medium to strong growing apple tree will be happy. Find out what else there is to know about the old variety 'Weisser Wintertaffetapfel'.

Tip: The reason for the excellent tolerability among allergy sufferers is the often higher content of polyphenols in the old apple varieties. Polyphenols are phytochemicals that make apples taste aromatic but less sweet. In addition, the he alth-promoting properties of these antioxidant substances have been well researched, including an anti-inflammatory and cancer-preventing effect. The only side effect of the polyphenol, which is unpleasant for some people: the interfaces of the apples turn brown faster than with new varieties.

'White Winter Taffa Apple': History and Origin

The exact origin of the 'white winter taffeta apple' is unclear. In Austro-Hungarian pomology - i.e. in fruit growing - the 'white winter taffeta apple' was reported as early as 1884: it had long been cultivated in Austria-Hungary, Germany and France and was known as a dessert apple, but was mainly used as a cider apple . However, the cultivation did not take place on a large scale. Nowadays, the 'White Winter Taffetapfel' variety can only be found occasionally on meadow orchards and is sold as a table and commercial apple.

The 'White Winter Table Apple' is well suited for processing

Tip: The white 'Wintertaffetapfel' is also known under the following synonyms: yellow winter chartreuse, glass apple, chartreuse, silver reinette, mirror apple, taffetafel, taffetiner, winter taffeter, wax apple, Wax reindeer, white apple,White Taffeta, White Winter Taffeta, and Winter Taffeta.

Flavour and characteristics of the ‘White Winter Taffeta’ apple variety

The 'White Winter Taffetapfel' tastes juicy, sour and perfumed. The fruits are small to medium-sized. Expressed in dimensions, that means about 4.5 to 5.5 cm high and 6 to 7 cm wide. This results in a flat spherical shape. The basic color of the smooth and waxy skin is yellowish to whitish green, the sun-kissed side rarely shows a washed-out light red top colour. The so-called lenticels, which enable gas exchange and are visible as shell points, have a red border. The core inside the fruit is small, with a closed axis and can therefore be easily separated from the remaining white, fine-celled flesh.

Tip: The 'White Winter Taffeta Apple' can easily be confused with the varieties 'Champagne Renette' and 'Late Flowering Taffeta Apple'.

A yellowish-white skin is typical of the wax apple

Special features of cultivation and care

The tree makes rather low demands on soil and location. Due to its moderate growth and low maintenance requirements, it is predestined for extensive cultivation on meadow orchards. For this purpose, a medium-growing base and the standard graft are usually chosen. In this way, you can harvest the trees without any major fuss and mow them comfortably underneath. The 'White Winter Taffeta Apple' thrives best in nutritious, clayey soil in a sunny to partially shaded, warm location. In winter, however, the cold and frost don't bother him and the apples hang storm-proof on the tree. A wind-open location is important for this variety, as the flowers tolerate little moisture and typical diseases such as scab, fruit tree canker and powdery mildew can be avoided. For information on the diseases mentioned, see our Apple Tree Diseases article.

The growth can be quite strong on suitable soil. Growth depends above all on the substrate: This can slow it down or strengthen it. The 'White Winter Taffetapfel' variety itself grows medium to strong. For this reason, the tree should not be made nervous by too radical pruning measures and tempted to sprout too much. In order to harvest high-quality fruit, it is worth cutting the fruiting branches every year to ensure new fruiting wood. We have summarized everything you need to know about pruning apple trees in a special article.

Expert tip: For an allotment garden, a slow-growingRootstock and grafting can be selected as a half-stem or bush tree. Nevertheless, give the tree at least 3 x 3 m of space to be able to take care of it comfortably.

The pale wine-red flowers do not appear until mid-May and usually produce regular, medium-high yields. They are self-pollinating and therefore do not necessarily need a pollinator variety in the garden. The yield is increased, among other things, by pollination with the varieties 'Baumanns Renette' 'Champagne Renette', 'Cox Orange' or 'Goldparmäne'. The pollen of the 'White Winter Taffeta' itself can of course also fertilize other varieties such as 'Charlamowsky'.

Tip: The blossoms are attacked by the apple blossom weevil more often than average. A nest box, on the other hand, attracts birds that eat the apple blossom weevil.

Taffetapfeple
In warm, humid weather, apple scab can break out quickly

Harvesting and Use of the Winter Apple

From mid-October, the 'White Winter Taffeta Apples' can be picked. You should wait until December to eat them, only then are they ready to eat. The apples can be stored in a cool, dark place until March, sometimes even April. Their sensitivity to pressure should be taken into account.

The juicy cells of the pulp are ideal for pressing a sour juice. Direct consumption is also possible.

Have you got a taste for it and would now like to plant a 'White Winter Tasmanian'? Here we explain the apple tree planting in 10 steps.

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