Apple Calville Snow

Calville Snow Apple — a Ukrainian late-winter ripening variety developed in Vinnytsia Oblast. The tree is medium-sized, reaching 3–3.5 meters in height, with a broad, rounded or spherical crown and slender, hanging branches. Flowering occurs at medium time and is brief. Fruit-bearing begins on the 2nd–4th year after planting, depending on the rootstock, with trees on dwarf rootstocks starting to bear fruit as early as the 2nd–3rd year. The variety is distinguished by good winter hardiness, tolerating temperatures down to -25°C, and high yield. For successful pollination, it is recommended to use varieties such as Jonathan, Aidared, Antonovka, Gala, or Golden Delicious.

Fruits of Calville Snow have an oval-conical shape, light green or greenish-yellow color with possible red blush on the sunny side, especially in southern regions. Fruit weight varies from 100 to 200 grams, they are uniform, with thin, dense, elastic, and smooth skin covered with small, barely noticeable lenticels. The flesh is white, dense, tender, with good tart-sweet flavor. Harvesting for consumption occurs in mid-September, while consumer ripeness arrives in October–November. Apples store well until January–February, although over time the flesh becomes more mealy.

The variety is resistant to scab and has moderate resistance to powdery mildew; however, under humid conditions, the disease may occur. To protect the harvest, regular crown thinning and chemical spraying are recommended. Among the advantages of the variety are early fruiting, high yield, good winter hardiness, and excellent fruit flavor. Disadvantages include poor transportability and susceptibility to fruit drop if harvesting is delayed. Calville Snow apples are consumed fresh and are also used for cider and juice production.