Two smooth pale yellow early apples on a wooden board, a Yellow Transparent shown as a look-alike for this pale yellow summer apple. Representative photo, not this variety. Photo by Rasbak, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Pristine Apple

Orchard · Apple

Pristine Apple

Malus domestica, Pristine

Disease-resistant early yellow 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: July, the earliest of our Vf scab-resistant apples

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At a glance

Format: A grafted Pristine Apple tree in an air-pruned container. A named cultivar joined to a named rootstock.
Flesh: White, crisp, mild, juicy. Good early-season value
Disease: Carries the Vf scab-resistance gene. Moderately resistant to fire blight and cedar-apple rust, resistant to powdery mildew (Penn State Extension).
Origin: PRI cooperative program, Purdue Horticultural Research Farm; released 1994

Rarity score

How we score rarity

About this variety

An early yellow apple from the PRI program, released in 1994, and the earliest apple we grow that carries the Vf scab-resistance gene. Raised from Camuzat crossed with Co-op 10 and planted at the Purdue Horticultural Research Farm in 1975. Ripens in July, medium to large, pale yellow turning bright yellow, sometimes with an orange blush, crisp with spicy, full, sweet-tart flesh.

A July apple that keeps its texture is unusual. Most early apples go soft on the tree; Pristine keeps up to six weeks in cold storage.

Its Vf scab resistance is what makes it useful in a low-spray orchard.

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. Camuzat × Co-op 10

The eleventh release of the Purdue, Rutgers and Illinois cooperative disease-resistant apple program, introduced in 1994 as Co-op 32. The seedling came from a 1974 cross of Camuzat with Co-op 10 and was planted at the Purdue Horticultural Research Farm in 1975. Its US plant patent (PP9,881) states it was developed for scab resistance and fruit quality, and that its quality and shelf life are significantly better than Yellow Transparent or Lodi, which it ripens about a week and a half after.

Sources. Janick, J., Crosby, J.A., Pecknold, P.C., Goffreda, J.C. & Korban, S.S. (1995) 'Co-op 32 (Pristine) apple', HortScience 30(6). US Plant Patent PP9,881, Apple tree Co-op 32, Purdue Research Foundation (1997).

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

In the kitchen

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.

Sunken apple cake Dessert or afternoon · Classic · One 9 in cake, serves 8

The German versunkener Apfelkuchen: scored apple halves pressed into a butter cake, where soft, sweet dessert apples do well.

Role of the fruit. Face of the dish: 4 apples

Prep 35 min. Cook 40 to 50 min at 350°F. Total 1 hr 15 to 1 hr 25 min, plus 30 min cooling.

Ingredients

4 dessert apples, peeled, halved and cored
Juice of ½ lemon
½ cup (1 stick) soft butter
½ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
Finely grated zest of ½ lemon
1¼ cups flour
1½ tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
3 tbsp milk
Powdered sugar to finish

Method

1. Heat the oven to 350°F and butter a 9 in springform pan.
2. Score the rounded side of each apple half in thin parallel cuts, not all the way through, and brush with lemon juice.
3. Beat the butter and sugar until pale, then the eggs one at a time, the vanilla and zest. Fold in the flour, baking powder and salt with the milk.
4. Spread the batter in the pan and press the apple halves in, scored side up.
5. Bake until golden and a skewer in the cake comes out clean, 40 to 50 min. Cool and dust with powdered sugar.

Why this cultivar. Soft or tender dessert apples fan open as they bake. Early apples such as Geneva Early, Pristine and Chenango Strawberry keep only weeks, so this is a good use for them. Very sweet, low-acid cultivars such as Sekai-Ichi, Malinda and Amanishiki benefit from the lemon; Pomme Framboise brings its raspberry aroma.

Evidence: C. Classic style.

Open the full recipe page · Learn the technique: Baking pies, crisps, tarts and breads

Pristine apple first of season slaw Side · Regional · Serves 4

A raw July slaw for one of the very earliest scab immune apples of the season.

Role of the fruit. The dish

Prep 15 min. Cook None. Total 15 min.

Ingredients

2 Pristine apples, julienned
2 cups shredded cabbage
2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp lime juice
Salt

Method

1. Whisk the oil, lime juice and a pinch of salt.
2. Toss with the apple, cabbage and mint just before serving.

Why this cultivar. Released from the Purdue disease resistance program and ready as early as July, Pristine is recorded as spicy and full flavored with mild acidity and sweetness, bright enough to carry a simple raw summer slaw.

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.