Planning for Apples - Lord Lambourne or Liberty?

It's been awhile since I've posted, but I've moved into a house(!) and am starting thinking about landscaping. It's (unfortunately) in an HOA, so I can't go hogwild, but I want at least to plant a couple of apple trees, some blueberries, and maybe a serviceberry. I've been investigating apples because I eat an apple a day and I'm very particular. I like extremely crisp apples that tend towards very tart (my big four are: Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Lucy Glo, Lucy Rose). I could try to go for those, but I'm also interested in unusual varieties. I've read that Lord Lambourne and Liberty are two that would be good, and Liberty particularly as a homegrown apple. However, the apples that I can legit buy and taste are few and not varied at all, even at the farmers market. Can anyone here who has tasted Lord Lambourne or Liberty please let me know how they compare to the big four, particularly the crispness in texture (I despise mealiness)? I appreciate the help!

Neither of those leans particularly tart honestly. Lord Lambourne is quite sweet and aromatic, good apple but probably not what you're after if you like Pink Lady or Honeycrisp. Liberty is decent for disease resistance but fairly mild in flavour. If you want that crisp-tart thing in a manageable tree, Braeburn might be worth looking at. Closer to what you're after and reasonably disease-resistant compared to Cox.

If there are any local groups that specialise in heritage apples, you could consult them to find out which varieties grow well in your area and then look up descriptions of their flavour profile.

They may also be able to provide you with sources of scion wood to graft several varieties onto a tree extending both the harvest window and the storage capabilities which could allow you to be eating them for up to 9 months.

In the UK, the Brogdale Trust has a comprehensive database of apple varieties with descriptions of the taste and texture, keeping quality and harvesting dates.

University extension offices also offer similar databases.

Here’s a few links to get you started -

https://www.nationalfruitcollection.org.uk/search.php

https://mnhardy.umn.edu/apples/varieties

https://www.orangepippin.com/varieties/apples

I really like the taste and texture of my liberty apple- we eat them when they are tart and crisp and we usually take a month to a month and half to eat them off the tree before we pick the rest of them.  I don't know how long or how well they keep because my kids eat several apples a day so they are gone in a couple of weeks.  It is very disease resistant- I've had some things bother my other trees and the liberty just isn't bothered.  My other trees (besides my seedlings) are Akane, Golden Delicious, and Transparent. Transparent is crisp and tart, Golden Delicious is too when you pick it early but gets sweet and stays crisp, and Akane is sweet and gets a little mealy if it's on the tree too long.

Lord Lambourne not one I hear as often.   Liberty can be crisp but not overly acidic.  Balanced taste in apples sweet, acid, sharp, bitter is a more modern idea.  Old apple cultivars have particular flavor groupings.  I grew up with old Gravensteins, Braeburn, Transparents(Apple sauce), Thompkins King, and a few wild varieties not known in Kitsap Co. WA.  Most old farms here had dual cider and eating apples planted near the houses.  We ate apples as they ripen late summer through fall, cider apples last we pressed, as both juice and to ferment.  Time ripening to perfect freshness every few weeks for months.  Pruned to Head high you can observe apples daily to pick at the exact time, and never get a better apple.  Macintosh caries its lineage taste from 1811 Dundela Ontario, forward to Liberty, but taste side by side and you’ll notice the difference.  Sounds like you may enjoy some older varieties, but try a few newer ones to start as they’re a tad easier to grow.
Overall great balanced taste slightly acidic sweet harder crisp apples Empire, Braeburn, Pink Lady.   WSU Fruit Research Foundation, Mount Vernon WA may have many selections to your liking in many fruits and best grow practices.  I find their research spot on in many ways.  Cheers.

Thank you all for your help! It's definitely narrowed down some things for me. I will definitely be referring back!

Hi Caitlin, I have tasted both, and for your taste I would lean toward Liberty. Liberty is properly crisp and tart, much closer to Honeycrisp and Pink Lady in texture, and it holds that crunch for weeks in storage, which matters if you hate mealiness as much as I do. It is also very disease resistant, so it is forgiving for a home garden in a humid valley climate like yours.

Lord Lambourne is a lovely apple, aromatic and sweet-sharp with a nice old-fashioned flavour, and it is crisp right off the tree. But it softens faster once picked, so you need to eat it within a few weeks rather than storing it.

Since you are planting just a couple of trees, I would plant Liberty as your main crisp eating apple, and if you want a second variety for flavour contrast, look for something that ripens at a different time so your harvest spreads out. Blueberries and serviceberry are a great pairing alongside, they will love your soil if you keep it slightly acidic.