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HUBBARD’S PEARMAIN An eighteenth century apple, introduced by Lindley in 1820 at a meeting of the London Horticultural Society as ‘a real Norfolk apple’. Small fruit, with yellow-green skin, flushed bronze-red, and sometimes russeted. The flesh is firm, crunchy and juicy with a very rich flavour - Hogg clearly thought highly of it, saying that no English apple was its superior. Pretty white blossom, and good crops. A late apple ripe in October and storing until January. Pollination Group 4 |
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HUNT’S DUKE OF GLOUCESTER Raised by Dr. Fry of Gloucester and introduced by Thomas Hunt in 1820. A mid season dessert and cider apple, small to medium sized, round and conical, with golden skin, lightly russeted. At the end of September the apples are crisp, but yielding, juicy, very sweet and with a very lemony, zesty, rich flavour. An excellent and powerful apple, storing to January. Pollination Group 3 |
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IBSTONE
PIPPIN An old and previously unknown variety introduced to us
by Tom and Susan White of Pishill Bottom, Stonor, near Henley, Oxfordshire
in 2013. Their tree was probably planted by Tom’s father around
1940. His mother came from nearby Ibstone, which was probably the source
of their tree. Since their tree suckers and the fruit is the same on the
suckers, their tree cannot have been grafted and it is assumed to be a
‘Burr Knot’ type which will root easily from cuttings, and
therefore is easily passed around from place to place. It is a medium
sized oblong apple, green turning pale yellow, and ripe in late August,
when it is crisp, juicy sweet and with a good flavour. By late September/early
October it has become soft with a peculiar musty taste. A good early eating
apple, and probably a useful sweet cider apple. Pollination Group 5 |
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IFFLEY
BEEFING A good old-fashioned cooker, introduced to us by Mr and
Mrs Grimley-Evans of Iffley, a village near Oxford on the River Isis,
now a suburb of Oxford. Their farmhouse, on the edge of the village, still
retained two old trees from the old farm orchard. It was still a remote,
active farm at the beginning of the 20th century. A tall tree bore large
apples, of such a density that they don’t bruise when dropping from
a great height. They are flat and broad with a wide, open eye in a flat
basin. The skin is pinky red, almost all covered with deep red and striped
maroon. There is heavy russet around the stalk and there are prominent
white dots over the body. It is pleasantly edible as a dessert apple when
fully ripe but primarily it is of culinary use, with a very good, tangy,
yet sweet, flavour. When cooked the dark skin colours the flesh with pink.
It keeps some shape. When cut, it does not discolour or bruise readily.
It becomes ripe in early October and will store until the end of the year,
at least. It is not obviously any variety still known and has been renamed
Iffley Beefing to send it on a new life of popularity. Mr and Mrs Grimley-Evans
have also provided Iffley Codlin, below. Pollination Group 4 |
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IFFLEY
CODLIN As with Iffley Beefing, given to us by Corrine and John
Grimley Evans of Iffley, Oxford. This is an old tree, but not of large
growth. There were once many different codlins, but few now exist in collections
and it may be difficult to identify its original name, hence its new name
of Iffley Codlin. It is medium sized, oval and conical in shape, lightly
ribbed on the body and more prominently at the eye. There are some dark
dots on the skin, but it is otherwise of uniform green, going pale golden
with full ripeness. In common with other old codlins, it can be used quite
early – as early as August, while the fruit is produced over a period
into October, when it is crisp, juicy, becoming sweeter - and then a very
pleasant eating apple. Its best use, though, is culinary. If used early
it keeps its shape when cooked, producing clear, cream flesh and having
a very rich tangy and sweet flavour, useful in tarts. By September it
will keep some shape but would mash. The flavour is very rich and lemony
without the need for added sugar. The apple is now sweet enough to eat
with pleasure. Apples will store into November. Pollination Group 3 |
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IMPROVED
KESWICK CODLIN An old apple that was thought to have been lost,
but we found an old tree in 2006, along with several other important fruits,
in the orchard of the late Martin Stevens at Holmer Green in Buckinghamshire.
Born in 1920, he was involved with orchards from childhood (as were his
father and grandfather) and he remembered all the names of his trees and
relayed them to us. The origin and age of this variety is uncertain and
it is still unknown whether it was a seedling of Keswick Codlin or a mutation.
The first known record was when it was exhibited by Harrison Nurseries
of Leicester, at the 1883 National Apple Congress, held at the RHS grounds
at Chiswick. It was said to be later season, more rounded than Keswick
Codlin and pale straw coloured. It was also described as being acid, but
that might be due to the early collection of apples for exhibit, as ours
is actually quite sweet. Evans and Martin (2014) have suggested the origin
to be at Harrowbarrow, Callington, Cornwall, while Thornhayes Nursery
have said it was from the Tamar Valley, a little further south, but we
do not know what records they draw from or the source of their fruit,
which seems a little different from ours. Martin Stevens informed us that
his Improved Keswick Codlin was paler, more rounded, lasted longer and
was a little larger. That has been our experience here. Ripe at the end
of September, when cooked it keeps its shape partially, softens fairly
quickly and is very fruity but not so tangy. It is sweet enough without
the addition of sugar. By the end of November the apples have become sweet
enough to eat raw and stay in good condition to end of the year. Pollination
Group 4 |
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IRISH
PEACH One of the best early apples, sent to the London Horticultural
Society in 1819. It was very popular in Victorian and Edwardian times
as 'a beautiful dish for dessert '. It is best eaten when fresh, as it
does not store long before the rich, crisp and juicy flesh declines. The
trees are moderately vigorous and spreading, and are tip bearing. Good
crops, ready to pick in August or early September. Attractive pink blossom.
Pollination Group 2 |
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ISLAY
PIPPIN Possibly the ‘Lord Islay’s Pippin’ of
Forsyth. He mentioned the apple in 1810, but no further record of it existed.
The otherwise excellent 1971 National Apple Register, written by Muriel
Smith, did not include the work of Forsyth, relying instead upon reports
from him by Lindley and Hogg, who clearly had no knowledge of this apple.
We noticed that the Grove Research Station in Tasmania had an Islay Pippin,
a name we had not discovered in any other world collections, and assumed
it possibly to be the same as Lord Islay’s Pippin. Lord Islay became
3rd Duke of Argyll when his brother, the second duke, died. The 2nd duke,
a very keen horticulturalist, created a house and garden at Whitton Park,
Hounslow. Whether Lord Islay’s Pippin belonged to the second or
third duke is unclear but on the death of the 3rd duke in 1761, many of
the exotic plants were transferred to the Royal Gardens at Kew. This was
the province of Forsyth (Gardener to George III) and he would surely have
come across the apple, if our speculations are correct. The assumption
must be that this is a London apple not a Western Isles apple. Forsyth
only lists the apple - there is no description. Whatever it is, it is
a delicious early season apple, with attractive pale skin, delicately
striped red and with sweet and crisp lemony flesh. Spur bearing. We have
noticed that others have taken this apple from us and called it Lord Islay’s
Pippin. In the absence of firm evidence to conclude that it is the apple
of Forsyth, it should be called Islay Pippin. Pollination Group 4 |
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JAMES
GRIEVE James Grieve was the manager of Dickson’s Nurseries,
of Edinburgh. He introduced this mid-season, dual-purpose apple in 1893.
Considered by some to be a cooker when grown in the north and dessert
when grown in the south, we find it is a good cooking apple in both places,
but remains only a mediocre dessert apple in the south. When eaten for
dessert the fruit is crisp and juicy, with an unremarkable flavour; cooked
it keeps all shape, but would mash. It can go a little dry after cooking,
and is somewhat sharp and might want sugar, but is very rich and tangy.
Still popular in Scotland, the tree is hardy, crops well and has striking
pink and white blossom. It is ripe in mid-September and stores until November.
Pollination Group 4 |
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JENNIFER
It was raised in 1923 by nurseryman F.W. Wastie of Eynsham, Oxfordshire
and recorded in 1944, when it was sent to the National Fruit Trials by
his son, J.F. Wastie, who named it after his daughter. A cross between
Duchess’s Favourite and Beauty of Bath. It is an early dessert apple,
ready in late August and early September. The apples are slightly ribbed
with yellow skin, flushed pale red and striped with bright red. A sweet,
crsip and juicy apple, but does not keep long. A vigorous grower. Part
tip bearing. Pollination Group 3 |
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