Antonovka Apple

in its common type, a widespread, old Russian winter variety of apple.

The fruit is large (125–150 g), golden in color, sometimes with a reddish blush, and has a winey tart taste and an aroma unique to this variety. Antonovka apples may be eaten fresh or used for making juice, jam, and pastilles. Compared to other varieties, the Antonovka is outstanding for its firmness in winter, low demands on the soil, and high yield (up to 500 kg from a single tree). The Antonovka apple is the basic winter variety grown in the central regions of the RSFSR (including the Kursk, Orel, Tula ob-lasts), Byelorussian SSR, Ukrainian SSR, Baltic region, Kazakh SSR, and Kirghiz SSR. It is also widespread in Poland. In the south the Antonovka has become an autumn and even a summer variety, the fruit of which has lost its valuable traits. Also well-known in agriculture are the Kamenichka subvariety of the Antonovka, which has smaller, brighter, and longer-lasting fruit, and the 600-gram Antonovka, an autumn variety developed by I. V. Michurin, with very large, almost white fruit.