Sietsema, who manages a local orchard, told NBC affiliate WOOD-TV that the apples are of the Jonagold variety, "but we'll call these Jona-ghosts,” he said. He later told TODAY Food that he estimated the ice to be about 1/2-inch thick, and that the apples "felt like Christmas tree bulbs."
So, how exactly does something like this form?
Susan Brown, Herman M. Cohn Professor of Agriculture and Life Science at Cornell University, explained to TODAY Food that the flesh of some apples, especially those that remain on trees late after the harvest season, will decay into almost an applesauce-like consistency. “The skin keeps it in like a filled water balloon,” she said.
Due to a combination of freezing rain and prolonged subzero temperatures, ice initially encased the whole fruit, but then the rotted apple mush seeped out from the bottom of the icy sphere, leaving the detailed, hollowed-out impression of an apple.
“I like the term that was coined ‘ghost apple,’” Brown said. “What I love about this story and the excitement it generated is that it showcases all the hard work our apple growers do in all weather conditions. The fact that Andrew Sietsema was out in freezing conditions, tending to his trees, allowed him to capture this beautiful occurrence.”
Photos of the clear "fruit" have been reposted and liked hundreds of times across various social media platforms. Many are simply in awe of the unusual phenomenon:
While this may seem like a rarity, Brown (who herself hasn’t seen a ghost apple first-hand), said she’s heard from many researchers and growers that they have seen this occur before and that it’s most common with Golden Delicious and Jonagold apples. Jonagolds, known for their crisp flesh and tartly sweet flavor, are an offspring of the Golden Delicious.
But how rare are these ghost apples, really?
"I haven’t seen this phenomenon before, but I’m sure it’s happened before in other ice storms," Sietsema told TODAY. "And I mean, anything looks pretty cool with ice covering it."
“Others have seen it in their orchards, but only those brave enough to face the elements after an ice event,” she said. “I would imagine that after this report and photos, you may have more [people] venturing out to see if they can spot any. I’m sure other growers out pruning may also document their own ‘haunted’ orchards.”
Fiber pots available from winter to early spring. Check with your local store for current availability.
Truly unique apple variety produces completely white fruits with a sweet, sub-acidic flavor in mid summer. Does great in hot climates with low chill, but high chill adaptable. Requires a pollinizer: any Apple variety.
Semi-dwarf tree grown on M111 rootstock. Can be maintained at 8'-10' with summer pruning.
We pot our bareroot fruit trees in plantable fiber (pulp) pots. They make for easy planting and protect new roots so they don't break or dry out. Read On: How to Plant a Pulp Pot.
Shop our full selection of bareroot fruit trees in stores. Read on: List of Fruit Tree Varieties
Ghost apple
Review by YJH on 22 Sep 2020review stating Ghost appleWe bought this apple variety last spring, planted it on Easter. Despite heat tree rooted really well and produced about 15 medium sized apples that little branches had hard time supporting so we had to thin out some apples, the rest ripened in July. Apples taste similar to "golden delicious" variety. We had this tree for just about 6 months and itRead more about review stating Ghost apple's already doubled in size, very happy with purchase.
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