Though rare for an apple, Antonovka Apples will reproduce true from seed 90% of the time.
The tree is very large, flowering with pinkish-white blossoms and delivering a late-autumn harvest.
The tree is very winter hardy; in fact, the taste and storage abilities of Antonovka Apples can be affected if the tree is grown in zones where it does not get enough cold hours.
Antonovka Apples are also grown in Finland.
Antonovka Apples are not the same as Antonov Apples, which are deep-green. Nor are they the same as “Antonovka Kamenichka” apples.
Cooking Tips
Antonovka Apples are good for cooking or eating, and for apple wine.
History Notes
Antonovka Apples originated in Russia and were introduced in 1888 by the Russian plant breeder Ivan Vladimirovich Michurin (27 October 1855 – 7 June 1935.)
They were widely grown, and were affectionately referred to as “the people’s apple” (народное яблоко.)
It is uncertain whether these are an offshoot of the centuries-old “Antonov Apples” (called “Антоновские яблоки — Antonovskiye yabloki” in Russian), written about by Russian novelist Ivan Bunin in 1900 in his short story of the same name. Antonov Apples have been known since at least the 1500s.
Language Notes
In Russian, “Яблоко антоновка.”