Flat Fallawater

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Also known as: Flat Head Fallawater

This is a local apple that originated in northwest North Carolina. Our teacher and mentor, Lee Calhoun, writes in Old Southern Apples that he had heard of this apple for a long time but had never seen one until Danny Harvey from right here in Ashe County sent him three nice apples years ago. Danny Harvey, by the way, is a good friend of ours and a fellow vendor at the Ashe County Farmers’ Market.

The apple somewhat resembles the original Fallawater but has a taste and texture quite distinct from the Pennsylvania classic. You can still find Flat Fallawater in Ashe and adjoining counties here in NW North Carolina.

Fruit is medium to large, roundish-conical, flattened on the top and occasionally lopsided. The smooth, tough and waxy skin is light green in color, sometimes with a brownish-red blush on the sunny side. The greenish flesh is very crisp, tender and juicy with a pleasant sweet flavor. Ripens late September and is a good keeper.

Flat Fallawater Fruit
  1. bob gow
    bob gow02-24-2015

    i have what, after using your picture id, i believe is a flat fallawater. it is a very old tree some 2′ in girth and in great decline when i purchased the home/land maybe 6+ years ago off roundabout. i’ve been gradually attempting to restore her without sudden shock/stress. this should be a pivotal turnaround or turn down spring/summer. do you have need for any scionwood? i would love a younger replacement. i have one each of your virginia beauty (would love another) and winter banana (come to remember it might be a summer banana which i was not familiar with and that’s why i still have it nursified so i could watch it longer before site it…i know, kind of silly. really an excuse for personal/work busyness). my big experiment/”research” at present is “sour”/pie cherries, paw paws, and eastern blight free/resistant filberts within black walnut root range. also, grouping fedco hybrid plums quite close together and within pollination range of quite old wild/escaped plum tree with understory thicket(very sour, maybe gage type?). anyway, fallawater scions anytime works for you and fallawater…bob gow

    • Ron Joyner
      Ron Joyner02-26-2015

      Hi Bob,
      We got our start for Flat Fallawater many years ago from our good friend and fellow apple grower, Danny Harvey of Lansing. (Do you know him?) I cannot be absolutely sure but I believe he got cuttings from a tree in your area. While I may be totally wrong about this, it would be very interesting if his cuttings came from your tree before you purchased the property!

      We appreciate your offer to share grafting wood from your tree but we have all we’ll need for grafting this year. Our single Flat Fallawater tree is over 15″ tall, is in full fruit production and gives us all the scionwood we require.

      If you decide you want another Virginia Beauty or any other apple tree just let us know as soon as possible. We begin grafting in just over two weeks and would be very happy to put together another tree or two for you for fall planting.

      Good luck with all your own horticultural efforts this year. Thanks for writing.

      Ron

  2. Melissa Frye
    Melissa Frye10-15-2016

    Also how about the Foist or maybe the Flat Flatwater. Thanks, melissa

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