December 16: Ruby Jon

Also known as the Jackson Johnson apple
Kentucky, 1996

Eagle eyes will note that the label on the box says “Egremont” while I’m describing the apple here as Ruby Jon. I suppose snafus were to be expected and in this case, it was Ruby Jons that got put into the box instead of Egremont. Oh well, we’ll try again next year!

Although Ruby Jons are a late mid-season apple, I saved a bunch of beautiful ones from the press because (1) they are beautiful with their deep, dark red skin and (2) they are delicious. My sample was softer than I would ideally like, but the flavor is still top notch.

You will probably not be surprised to learn that Ruby Jon is an offshoot (a “sport,” we call it in the apple world) of the well-known Jonathan apple, a variety primarily grown in more southern states. We did have Jonathan apples here when we came here in 2010, but the trees were huge and difficult to manage and the apples they grew were not fantastic. In contrast, the Ruby Jon apples were soooooo much better . . . and a massive orchard renovation later, they’re the variety that stuck around.

Growing Notes

With the 100 apple varieties I grow, it’s easy to see that some trees like to grow here in our Minnesotan climate and others struggle. Ruby Jon fits into the former camp and these trees seem to have an easy existence here and not be plagued by any of the common apple pests. This one is difficult to find, however, if you want to plant it yourself. I suspected that the Ruby Jon intellectual property might have been owned by Stark Bros, which doesn’t sell it anymore, and in searching for it, found the patent filing for Ruby Jon, filed as “Super Jon.”