Speaking of over-achievers, this little Anna tree is about 4′ tall, but I have to tape sticks to prop up the branches loaded with huge apples. The tree grows lots of fruit-bearing spurs and I thinned 3/4 of the little apples off or it would be filled with substandard-sized apples.
Anna was developed by Abba Stein in Kibbutz Ein Shemer in Israel in the 1950’s by crossing a local plum-sized crab apple with Golden Delicious. It is prized the world over for being extremely productive in warm and tropical climates. It it thought by many to be a parent of another great low-chill apple, Dorsett Golden.
When picked at just the right time the apples are crisp and tender (but not soft or mushy), a nice sweet-tart, and just a bit of astringency to make it interesting. Reportedly, they hold up surprisingly well in pies and make a tolerable cider. Don’t leave them on the tree too long or they get soft and mealy.
The tree bears huge crops like this reliably every year, and even gives a smaller second crop in the fall. We started picking the highly-colored apples this week and the harvest will last for about two weeks more, and then we’ll have nothing until Williams’ Pride and Gala are ready in mid-August.
Apples and Oranges 
My year old Anna is doing well also, but I did not thin it enough. Same with the Dorsett Golden. My Pink Lady and Adina are getting apples on them also, so they should be good in a couple of months.
My question is, how do I tell when the Anna’s are ready to pick? I have tried a couple and they taste pretty good, but still seem to be a little underripe.
The way to tell if an apple is ripe is by the seeds; a ripe apple will have dark brown to black seeds. If they still have a pale tip, the apple is not quite ripe (but is usually excellent for pies at this stage). If you wait too long they’re mealy.
I love what you guys are always up too. Such clever work and reporting! Keep up the great works guys I’ve added you guys to my blogroll.
I planted an Anna apple tree last November and have been harvesting over 35 a week. How can I use the apples? I can’t find any recipes.
How can I buy these trees.
You can order them at http://www.kuffelcreek.com we’ll be accepting orders again in September for deliver February through March 2016.