Popular American variety since the 1700’s, and still grown commercially. Gillet introduced it to the Western US in 1878. Fruit is large with a crisp, yellowish flesh, sometimes with red veins, covered with a deep red skin. Flesh is firm, rather coarse, crisp, with a blend of sugar and tartness. Juicy and tart with spicy, wine-like flavor and aroma. Good multi purpose for eating, juice, cider and baking. Ripens in late October through December. Keeps until February, at least. A heavy annual producer, adapted to a wide range of soils and climates. Blossoms are unusually red, a beautiful landscape accent. Resistant to rust and fireblight. Mother tree has very low codling moth damage. It is a very consistent producer despite being in a cold pocket. The fruit is remarkably yummy, especially after short to medium storage. Gets very little or no codling moth, and has good size fruit, despite no irrigation or thinning.

The mother tree grows on an original mining homestead along the north fork of the Yuba River in the old mining town of Goodyears Bar, Sierra County @ 2700’ elevation. The brothers Miles and Andrew Goodyear, along with a Dr. Vaughan and a Mr. Morrison, prospected here in the summer of 1849 and found gold enough for their liking to settle down at this crossing of the Yuba River. The Goodyear boys built a sturdy cabin and before long the rich deposits attracted a number of miners to their camp, which was given the name Goodyears Bar in honor of its founders. Goodyears Creek was incredibly rich along its entire length, having been literally fed gold for thousands of years as it chewed through gold-bearing ledges and the beds of ancient rivers and streams. At one spot near the upper end of the bar, a group of men cleaned up $2,000 in gold from a single wheelbarrow of dirt.