Red Astrachan

This variety was listed as growing on Orcas by 1890, and included in S.R.S. Gray's 1891 Seattle Post Intelligencer article.  The variety originated in Russia in the 1780s and was brought into the US at least twice. It can be harvested underripe for pies, or let fully ripen for  ciders. Like most early apples it is not a good keeper. There are two distinct phenotypes of Red Astrachan that grown in old island orchards on Orcas and Lopez (and are likely to be found on San Juan): deeply blushed with red, and yellow with red stripes. The blushed red phenotype can be found at the Land Bank's Watmough Head Preserve on Lopez, and the yellow striped phenotype can be found at their North Shore Preserve on Orcas. Scions are also available through our annual scion exchange and grafting workshops on Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan.

You can view watercolors of Red Astrachan in the USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection.