Today in the orchard
Tetofsky, August 6, 2025
On the morning of August 6th I picked the Tetofsky (also spelled Tetofski) apples. Some had dropped so I knew it was time. We have one branch that was grafted from scionwood obtained many years ago from Nick Botner. Although we have not done a DNA profile, our apple matches the description in Bussey (Illustrated History of Apples in the US and Canada) so it is probably correct. The fruit is small-medium, roundish-oblate, light yellow with pastel pink stripes. The cavity is obtuse, the basin shallow and the calyx tube is long and funnel-shaped. The texture is medium-soft. The flavor is mild but tart. The flesh oxidizes rapidly.
Tetofsky is one of the four Russian apples imported via the London Horticultural Society in 1835. The other three—Alexander, Duchess of Oldenburg and Red Astrachan—became famous in all cold districts of the US and southern Canada. Tetofsky never gained the same fame as the others, but it is one of the parents of at least four hardy, early-twentieth century Canadian cultivars including Atlas, Melba and Petrel (from the Central Experimental Farm in Ontario) and Mantet (from Ag Canada in Morden, Manitoba). It is also a grandparent of the Minnesota apple, State Fair.
Two days after picking we made apple sauce with about half the fruit. The sauce cooked up in about three minutes. (Maybe two) The skins did not break down enough to lose their form, but they did become soft and chewed up easily. This is a very good apple for early season sauce.
