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Freyberg apple

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Freyberg is another apple variety developed by New Zealander J.H Kidd in the 1930s and 1940s, in his quest to combine the best characteristics of Cox's Orange Pippin and with some of the American varieties. Freyberg is a cross between Golden Delicious and Cox's Orange Pippin, and in this case it is Golden Delicious which is most apparent in the offspring.  (For a very different take on this combination, try Rubinette).

Kidd did not live to see the "birth" of Freyberg.  He died in 1945, but a collection of his trial seedlings was bequeathed to the New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, which planted them in research orchards and raised them to bearing age.  Freyberg was one of the most promising of these, and was released in 1959.  It was named after Lord Bernard Freyberg, the Governor-General of New Zealand from 1946 to 1952.  The variety name is often mis-spelled as Freyburg.  There is more information about Freyberg's interesting life story on Wikipedia.

You would have thought that with two such excellent parents, Freyberg could not fail to be a superb apple. In fact, Freyberg is a very nice apple, but perhaps not a great one. J.H. Kidd was also responsible for two other famous varieties: Kidd's Orange Red and Gala, both of which have Cox in their make-up. Kidd's Orange Red in particular has that extra something that marks out the top quality apple, and Gala has the distinction of being one of the most commercially successful apple varieties. Freyberg somehow does not quite live up to the standards set by its cousins.

Gala is in fact a cross between Kidd's Orange Red and Golden Delicious. A comparison of Gala and Freyberg is therefore a way of looking at the effect of the richness of a Cox, applied in varying degrees on the easy-going sweet flavour of Golden Delicious.

Freyberg is very rarely available for sale, so you will have to grow your own. Like Golden Delicious (and unlike Cox) it is a reliable tree and fairly easy to grow.

Freyberg is not a great apple, but for everyday eating it is sweet and refreshing.  It is a fairly small nicely shaped golden green apple - pretty much what you would expect from a small Golden Delicious. The flesh is white and crisp but not hard. The flavour is sweet and can have a distinct flavour pear-like note to it.  In terms of flavor it is perhaps best considered a very sophisticated Golden Delicious. Like Golden Delicious it also keeps well.

Freyberg identification images

  • Freyberg

USDA identification images for Freyberg

The identification paintings in the USDA Pomological Watercolor Collection span the years 1886 to 1942.

    Citation: U.S. Department of Agriculture Pomological Watercolor Collection. Rare and Special Collections, National Agricultural Library, Beltsville, MD 20705.

    Parents and other ancestors of this variety


    Siblings of this variety (same parentage)

    • Rubinette - Freyberg takes after Golden Delicious, whereas Rubinette takes after Cox

    See also


    Visitor reviews

    • 09 Aug 2022 
      Very enjoyable apple to eat. Juicy, sweetish subtle complex richness. Must be properly tree ripend. Reliable and precious. Highly recommend. My Favourite Kidd creation. better than Gala or golden delicious.
    • 07 Mar 2022  TYPE A CHOICE BELOW ..., New Zealand
      Delightful sweet apple. A lot better than the site's description would have you believe.
    • 20 Sep 2020  OR, United States
      I also find myself disagreeing with the official tasting notes. As grown here in western Oregon, Freyberg seems quite different from Golden Delicious. It has superficial similarity in texture and appearance, but has subtle and distinctive fruit flavors totally absent in the Golden, most notably including banana and perhaps a bare hint of pineapple. I much prefer it to Kidd's Orange Red (which I also grow) as a snack apple, and think it would make a remarkable addition to a salad if its natural sweetness were used to complement more tart/acidic ingredients. One of the few apples that I would rate as mild and yet distinctive in flavor. To each his own?
    • 22 Apr 2019  VICTORIA, Australia
      I think your description of this variety condemns it with faint praise. I have grown it now for several years and find it one of the most distinctively flavoured apples. It is sweet but with an intense licorice flavour. Perhaps this is a result of local climate but I think it is one of the best flavoured apples. It is not as crunchy as I would like but still quite acceptable. It is also crops heavily and consistently. I rank it very highly among the 30 or so varieties that I grow.
    • 27 Apr 2017  TASMANIA, Australia
      Right there with you, Tiffany! Left on the tree until they are orange, then stored for a few weeks, Freyberg are sensational. Complex, aniseed, crunchy, they leave my palate tingling, numb and delighted for an hour.
    • 18 Mar 2015  VICTORIA, Australia
      Just ate my first Freyberg, straight from our 2 year old espalier. I accidentally knocked it off while pruning, so a little bit early. It was flushed with orange from the sun, and very fragrant. As I cut it open, I noticed how dry it was, and didn't have much hope that it would taste ripe. From the first bite, the complexity was a symphony on the tongue - first a sweet orange tang, then an intense aniseed burst followed by a lingering honeyed pear - I've never had a apple like it! I'm patiently waiting for the others to ripen to taste their full potential.
    • 11 Oct 2013  United States
      A fairly plain looking small yellow/green apple, with an uncomplicated sweet juicy character, an ideal variety for children who love sweet apples.
    • 15 Nov 2008  MANCHESTER, United Kingdom
      I grow many varieties of apple and in my view Freyberg is one of the very best. It has a very sweet and aromatic taste and is one that I always look forward to eating. It is also a heavy cropper and pretty healthy. In my view it is a great apple indeed.

    Tree register

    United States

    Ireland

    Canada

    New Zealand

    Spring blossom records for this variety

    2022 season

    • October  2022  - tree owned by Tubber in Christchurch, New Zealand

    2020 season

    • 18th April  2020  - tree owned by Jerry in Point Reyes Station, United States

    2019 season

    • 24th April  2019  - tree owned by Jerry in Point Reyes Station, United States

    2018 season

    • 8th May  2018  - tree owned by Jerry in Point Reyes Station, United States

    2010 season

    • 15th October  2010  - tree owned by Mark in Rangiora, New Zealand

    Record your blossom dates in our Fruit Tree Register - more >>.


    Harvest records for this variety

    2022 season

    • 2nd week March  2022  - tree owned by Tubber in Christchurch, New Zealand

    2015 season

    • September  2015  - tree owned by Roger in Madison Heights, United States

    Origins

    • Species: Malus domestica
    • Parentage: Golden Delicious x Cox
    • Introduced: 1934

    Using

    • Picking season: Late
    • Cropping: Heavy
    • Keeping (of fruit): 1-2 months
    • Flavor style (apples): Sweeter
    • Food uses: Eating fresh
    • Discoloration of fruit: No discoloration (Good for drying)

    Growing

    • Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
    • Flowering group: 3
    • Ploidy: Diploid
    • Bearing regularity: Regular

    Climate

    • Cold hardiness (USDA): (4) -30F / -34C
    • Summer average maximum temperatures: Cool ( 20-24C / 68-75F)
    • Summer average maximum temperatures: Warm (25-30C / 76-85F)

    Identification

    • Country of origin: New Zealand
    • Period of origin: 1900 - 1949
    • Flower colour: Pink - light
    • Leaf colour: Green
    • Fruit colour: Green - light

    Where to buy trees

    The following tree nurseries offer Freyberg apple trees for sale:


    Where to buy fresh fruit

    The following orchards grow Freyberg:

    United States


    Canada


    Australia




    References

    • Apples for the 21st Century
      Author: Manhart

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