GOLDRUSH

​​About the Variety: GoldRush is another PRI disease-resistant apple released in 1994, representing 30+ years of breeding work. Its complex heritage includes Golden Delicious and multiple disease-resistant parents. GoldRush is considered one of the finest late-season apples for storage and is prized by cider makers for its high sugar content and complex flavor.

 

Fruit Description: Medium-sized yellow-gold apples with occasional russeting and pink blush on the sunny side. Skin can develop a waxy finish in storage. Flesh is cream-colored, exceptionally crisp, and very firm. Initial flavor is quite tart and astringent when first picked, but transforms dramatically in storage to develop rich, complex sweet-tart flavor with hints of spice, honey, and occasionally pineapple.

​

Harvest Window for Cincinnati/Southern Ohio: Late October to Early November (typically October 20 - November 5)

​

Ripeness Indicators:

• Full golden-yellow color with no green remaining

• Background russeting or speckles develop

• Seeds fully brown

• Apples separate easily from spur

• Critical: Wait until late October even if they look "ready" earlier - GoldRush is one of the last apples to ripen in Ohio

• Will often hang into November without dropping
   

Disease Resistance:

• Immune to apple scab

• Highly resistant to cedar apple rust

• Resistant to fire blight

• Resistant to powdery mildew
   

GoldRush matches or exceeds Enterprise for disease resistance and requires absolutely no spraying.
 

Best Uses:

• Fresh eating: Must store 4-8 weeks minimum before eating fresh - transforms into extraordinary dessert apple

• Cider: One of the finest cider apples, high in sugar and tannins, often used as primary blend component

• Storage: Exceptional keeper - stores 6+ months refrigerated, improving significantly over time

• Cooking: Excellent for pies and baking, holds shape well
   

How to Share This Fruit: GoldRush requires patient stewardship and is NOT suitable for casual picking events. Best approach: harvest all fruit in late October/early November and immediately store in a cool location. Do NOT distribute fresh - the apples are nearly inedible when first picked. After 4-6 weeks of storage (around Thanksgiving), begin weekly distributions with clear messaging that "these apples improve with age." Consider a January cider-making workshop when stored apples have reached peak flavor, or organize a mid-winter fresh eating event to showcase how dramatically this apple transforms. GoldRush teaches patience and rewards those who understand the magic of proper storage.