Grimes Golden

My Grandma Matthews lived in a tiny house in a small town in Southwest, MO. She was always very old to me, and died at 94 when I was 15. In her cramped backyard was a huge apple tree, and while I never knew its’ variety, I can testify that apple trees can grow very big. Grandma’s favorite apple was a Grimes Golden and as tribute to her we have planted 3 GGs, one in our original 12, and two on order for our new plantings.

Grimes Golden Tree, planted in 2019. Cameo by “Lily”

Maybe this fall we will have a few of these!

Grimes Golden was found in 1804 by Thomas Grimes in West VA and is believed the parent of Golden Delicious. It is a small to medium yellow fruit with a crisp, spicy flavor. GG is self-fertile and serves as a wonderful pollinator to other trees. It is a super all-purpose apple, especially fine for hard cider and brandy.

For a fun recounting of the history behind the Golden Delicious, check out A Life of Apples.