From the Living Museum
Ginger Gold
- Origin
- Virginia, USA; chance seedling discovered by Clyde Harvey and introduced commercially in the late 20th century
- Era
- Late 20th c.
- Type / use
- Dessert · Fresh eating (early)
History & Stories
Large, attractive yellow early-season apple with crisp, juicy, sweet-tart flesh. Unique as one of the better-flavored early yellow apples and a commercial success that still offers decent eating quality.
Folklore & Name
Virginia chance seedling found by Clyde Harvey in a replanted orchard near Lovingston 1; named for its golden color and, according to a 2022 feature, for Frances "Ginger" Harvey 2. Successful early yellow commercial variety of the late 20th century.
Digging into the History
Below my own notes, here is what the old fruit books and today’s collections record about this apple, kept apart from the stories people tell.
What we know
Ginger Gold was found by Clyde H. Harvey, an apple grower near Lovingston in Nelson County, Virginia. His U.S. Plant Patent 7063 (filed 1988, granted 1989) describes it as "a chance seedling of unknown origin discovered in a replanted Winesap orchard near Lovingston, Va." Harvey wrote that he noticed it during "a routine inspection of a replanted orchard some years ago," because its fruit was "glossy, smooth, yellow green" and free of russet 1. It ripened from late July to mid-August, well ahead of other golden apples 1.
The competing accounts
- U.S. Plant Patent 7063 1: a chance seedling "of unknown origin" that Clyde Harvey found in a replanted Winesap orchard near Lovingston, Virginia. No date, storm or reason for the name is given.
- Spectrum feature, 2022 2: links the replanting to Hurricane Camille (1969) and says the apple was named for Frances "Ginger" Harvey; mentions Golden Delicious and Albemarle Pippin as suggested parents.
Most likely (our judgment, not a certainty): a chance seedling from the orchard replanted after Camille, named for Ginger Harvey, with unknown parents. The patent confirms the replanted orchard, and the family story fills in the rest; the suggested parents are only guesses.
What we think: stories & traditions
The hurricane apple (popular account). Later accounts tie the replanted orchard to Hurricane Camille, which flooded Nelson County in August 1969. A 2022 Spectrum feature says the Harveys' orchard "suffered a massive amount of damage," that they replanted what they could, and that the apple was named for Frances "Ginger" Harvey 2. The patent itself doesn't mention the storm or the name's origin 1, so treat the hurricane link as a well-loved story rather than a documented fact.
Its parents are unknown. Golden Delicious and Albemarle Pippin are often suggested, but those are guesses 2.
Sources
- Clyde H. Harvey, U.S. Plant Patent 7063, "Apple tree 'Ginger Gold'" (filed 7 December 1988; granted 5 December 1989). patents.google.com/patent/USPP7063P/en
- Kristin Ketchell, "The Ginger Gold apple: Hurricane Camille's tasty legacy," Spectrum News (30 August 2022). spectrumnews1.com/wi/milwaukee/weather/2022/08/30/ginger-gold-apple-history
Curious about Ginger Gold?
Email us at drgoss@honeytreeorchard.com.