2023 - Just one apple this year, picked Oct. 8, healthy, not much striped, more of a solid red blush on half, but same squatty shape. Ate it Dec. 23. Juicy, tender, moderately sweet-tart, interesting flavor. Nice change from Black Oxfords which we had been eating.

Recently came across some photos online at Montana State University of heirloom apples in Montana. To my surprise one looked just like this year's Tebo, and others looked like last year's. The description was close, the variety Alexander, a 1700's apple from Ukraine, offered in the US mid 1800's, valued for its hardiness. Descriptions elsewhere varied as would be expected with an apple that had been around that long but it seems there's a reasonable chance this could be an Alexander.

2022 - Early May Steve cut down the dying elm directly south of Splitter. Went from about 3 hours of good sun to 6 hours! I'm surprised it could ripen any fruit before. Had four apples this year, larger than previous. This was the year I finally searched my old notes to discover that we had indeed grafted two different scions in 2014, where I had thought we had only had scions from the old Hoholik tree. Since these apples were so different I called Joe (owners of the original Hoholik tree) and it was confirmed - that fruit was never red, maybe a little blush on the sunny side but not often even that. They were green apples, turning yellow when well ripe. And they weren't this large. So I finally changed the name, my notes, and my focus - this apple is from the old Tebo homestead orchard. See 2014 note. And I don't know if it is a named variety or a seedling apple.

In many ways the name doesn't matter, of course, especially since I don't know the variety names of the originals (if they were varieties, or wild seedlings). But I like the stories behind the apples, and where they came from originally. Makes them more interesting than just another apple. And this is an interesting apple.

The apples this year were larger, distinctly lobed, smooth skinned, red splashed/striped over green. Harvested October 6 - moderately firm, juicy, mild flavor. October 24 - tart, very little sweetness or flavor, rather sour, juicy enough. December 4 - good condition, better flavor now, juicy, tender, more Mac like. Two left. January 1 - similar to last month's, still in good shape, OK flavor similar to store Mac. Last apple January 20 - Peel getting a little "old" feeling but flesh very good shape - juicy, solidly tender. And flavor! Gently sweet, hint of something (mango comes to mind), pleasing aftertaste. Very good eating. It appears it might be a decenyt storage apple.

2021 - No fruit due to May 27 "untimely" freeze.

2020 - Limb healthy, good growth. 1 apple. Picked Oct.20 (after many 20 deg nights). Wasn't anxious to come off. Lot of red splash and stripes (~3/4) on light green. Healthy, nice size 6 oz. Ate 10/26 - Moderately crisp, mod. juicy, mod. mild sweet-tart flavor, reasonable fresh eating.

2019 - 6/13  has 5 blossoms! Set 3 apples.   9/23 gently tested one & it came off. Quite green. Put in root cellar. "Protected" other2 w/ ladder and branch placement. Picked 10/17 (before freeze). Good shape, firm, noticeably ribbed with some red. Doesn’t look like Joe & Tammy’s, though earlier they did (photo). Now I'm wondering... {later note - indeed not Hoholik but is Tebo}

12/1 Ate larger/redder one. White flesh, seeds brown, juicy, tender-crisp, tart but reasonably good fresh eating, not sweet but flavorful, turns brown after cutting. Left greener one in root cellar.

12/31 Ate last green one - blah. Think it was not mature.

2018 - Good growth, side branch & new 4-10" + one longer. Maybe fruit spurs?? Healthy.

2017 -  Good growth, healthy green leaves (much better than "Hoholik" tree inside fence).

2016 - Nice growth. Pruned end & tied down more horizontal. Good growth; healthy leaves.

2014 - For years I thought this graft on a branch of Splitter was from the old Hoholik tree (see that page), and that was the only apple we had grafted that year (2014). When it started fruiting it obviously wasn't a Hoholik apple (see 2020, 2022). I searched back through my notes and found:

     2013 - Found good (maybe) wild tree on Tebo's land. Early Nov. Firm, common looking, medium size, good plain old apple flavor. Still good end of December, ate last one.

     This property is adjacent to ours, an old homestead with a lot of untended old apple trees, at that time owned by friends of ours. I do recall walking over there some time later wondering exactly which tree that had been that we'd picked those apples from, not having marked it. But in May 2014 I have this note:      se rootstock (inside fence) - 5/25 grafted scion from Tebo's (scion cut in April). Didn't grow. Rootstock poorly, blighted and not thriving. Cut it down.

          se rootstock (inside fence) - 5/25 grafted scion from Tebo's (scion cut in April). Didn't grow. Rootstock poorly, blighted and not thriving. Cut it down.

5/25 grafted scion from old Hoholik Farm old tree by T&J's house (good late fall apples) (scion cut first of May) on sse rootstock inside fence. ... grew well. Also grafted scion from Hoholik Farm tree on branch on east side of Splitter tree. Grew one shoot!
     Scion from Tebo "winter" tree (scion cut in April) grafted on se rootstock. Didn't grow. rootstock poorly, blighted and not thriving. Cut it down.

Now I know that the graft on a branch of our Splitter tree is from the Tebo homestead, and the graft inside the fence on its own rootstock is from the old Hoholik homestead. Both good apples and more fun because of their stories and history.