Dayton Apple

Orchard · Apple

Dayton Apple

Malus domestica, Dayton

Disease-resistant modern sweet apple

$66.00

Rootstock G.11 G.214 G.969

G.11: About 30 to 40% of standard, roughly 8 to 10 ft. Needs a post for life. How the rootstocks differ

Container Medium 3 by 8 in · $66.00 Large 4 by 14 in · $99.00

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Hardiness: Zone 4 to 7
Pollination: Needs one partner See partners
Ripens: Mid-August. Keeps about four weeks

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At a glance

Format: A grafted Dayton Apple tree in an air-pruned container. A named cultivar joined to a named rootstock.
Flesh: White, crisp, mild, good fresh eating
Disease: Carries the Vf scab-resistance gene. Very good resistance to mildew and cedar-apple rust and moderate resistance to fire blight, per the breeders
Origin: PRI cooperative program; selected at Urbana, Illinois; released 1988

Rarity score

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About this variety

A scab-resistant apple from the PRI cooperative program run by Purdue, Rutgers and Illinois, released in 1988. The cross was made at New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1966 and the seedling was selected at Urbana, Illinois; it is named for Daniel F. Dayton, who led the Illinois program. Medium to large, glossy bright red, crisp and juicy, ripening with Prima in mid-August.

It carries the Vf scab-resistance gene, bred in from the crabapple Malus floribunda. Scab strains that can overcome Vf have been reported in some orchards, so it cuts the scab spray program rather than ending all care.

Growing

Pollination. Requires pollinator

Pairs with

Why this matters

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Growing guides: Pollination Fire blight Choosing a rootstock Chill hours Ripening and storage Planting Winter Injury

Where it came from

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

History and sources

Parentage. NJ 123249 × PRI 1235-100. Scab immunity (Vf) from Malus floribunda 821

Released in 1988 by the Purdue, Rutgers and Illinois cooperative program for disease-resistant apples, as Co-op 21.

Sources. US Plant Patent PP5584, Coop 21.

Verified. Checked against a primary source. How we grade our records

In the kitchen

Eaten fresh

It keeps about four weeks, so use the early crop before later apples come in.

What can you make with this?

Recipes and drinks chosen for this cultivar's own flavor and texture, each written by Provenance Nursery and labeled with how well its history is documented.

Shaved apple, fennel and aged cheddar salad Lunch or starter · Signature · Serves 4

Thin raw slices of a crisp dessert apple with fennel, sharp cheddar and toasted walnuts. The apple is the point, so use your best.

Role of the fruit. Face of the dish: 2 apples

Prep 20 min. Cook None. Total 20 min.

Ingredients

2 crisp dessert apples, cored
1 small fennel bulb, trimmed
Juice of ½ lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp honey
Salt and black pepper
3 oz aged cheddar, shaved
⅓ cup toasted walnuts
A handful of fennel fronds or parsley

Method

1. Whisk the lemon, oil, honey, salt and pepper.
2. Slice the apples and fennel as thinly as you can and toss at once with the dressing so the apple does not brown.
3. Arrange on plates with the cheddar, walnuts and fronds. Serve within 30 min.

Why this cultivar. Any firm, crisp dessert apple works. Russets such as Pomme Gris and Hudson's Golden Gem bring a nutty, dense bite; very crisp, sharp Bonkers wants a little more honey; long keepers such as Court Pendu Plat and Enterprise are at their best after some weeks in storage.

Evidence: D. Culinary application.

Open the full recipe page · Learn the technique: Eating fruit raw

Dayton apple summer slaw Side · Regional · Serves 6

A raw slaw for one of the earliest good eating apples of the season, crisp and less acidic than most.

Role of the fruit. The dish

Prep 15 min. Cook None. Total 15 min.

Ingredients

3 Dayton apples, julienned
2 cups shredded green cabbage
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tsp honey
Salt and pepper

Method

1. Whisk the mayonnaise, vinegar and honey with a pinch of salt and pepper.
2. Toss with the apple and cabbage just before serving.

Why this cultivar. Released from the Purdue, Rutgers and Illinois disease resistance program, Dayton ripens about a month before Jonathan and is recorded as less acidic than Prima, which keeps this early season slaw mild rather than sharp.

Evidence: D. Culinary application.

Open the full recipe page · Learn the technique: Eating fruit raw

More in the Provenance Kitchen and Kitchen School. Canning appears here only as links to tested methods. Evidence levels are explained on How we grade our records.